


Secret of the Old Mill

by Aurora_Mandeville



Series: Hardy Boys (Rewrite) [2]
Category: Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon
Genre: Gen, Hardy Boys, Series Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:40:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 52,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22284256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora_Mandeville/pseuds/Aurora_Mandeville
Series: Hardy Boys (Rewrite) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1326779
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Handed Their Next Mystery

Joe Hardy pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. He, his older brother Frank, and their best friend Chet Morton had arrived at the train station and were just sitting down in the terminal.   
“Wow, we’re here rather early,” he said before pocketing his phone.   
Chet shrugged. “Hey, Iola wanted to get to Callie’s as early as possible.” His eyes narrowed. “I know those girls are planning something. Iola’s been pretty secretive lately.”   
“Want Joe to find out why?” asked Frank, shooting his brother a sly grin.   
“Hey, a girl likes keeping her secrets to herself,” said Joe with a dismissive wave of his hand. He glanced at his brother with a sly grin and a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to ruin their fun, especially if it’s a surprise party for moi.”   
Frank burst out laughing. “What ever in the world makes you think that?”   
Joe blinked and gasped, feigning hurt feelings. “How dare you? My birthday is coming up, so why shouldn’t my girlfriend plan something special for me?”   
Chet playfully pushed him. “You are so full of yourself.”   
Joe pushed back. “That’s the beauty of being the baby in the family.”   
Chet scoffed. “Iola’s nowhere near as bad as you.” He turned to Frank. “I don’t know how you put up with it.”   
Frank shrugged. “I kinda have no choice in the matter.”   
“Touche.” Chet glanced between them. “So, any ideas on what kind of a case you’re dad is working on now?”   
Joe huffed. “No, he left for Detroit without telling us anything, and now he’s only coming back to pick up Mom. Something about them needing to go undercover.”   
Chet’s mouth opened slightly in shock. “You’re kidding? You two helped him catch that gang of thieves! Well, you and your Mom, and we all helped. So why wouldn’t he ask you for help now?”   
“Probably because he really has to go undercover and since it’s supposed to be a honeymoon, he can only have Mom along,” said Frank matter-of-factly.   
Joe sighed. “Yeah, it makes the most sense. But I really wanted to help!”   
“Maybe we can find out if there is a way we can help from here. Maybe Dad needs someone to look up things for him without drawing attention to him and Mom.”   
Joe tilted head and nodded slowly. “That is an idea.”   
“Plus, you two can work on clues and codes which should give your dad the means to concentrate on other things,” said Chet.  
Frank nodded. “There is that too. And, Chief Collig might need our help.”   
Joe laughed. “Alright, alright, I get it. We're still needed, just not entirely in the way I wanted.”   
“Exactly,” said Chet. “Besides, if you two are off constantly solving mysteries, we wouldn't get to spend much of the summer with you! What kind of fun is that?”   
“Alright! I already gave in, OK?”  
“I know, I just wanted to give you another reason for staying here.”   
“Well, here's one reason to want to go, dear old Aunt Trudy.”  
Chet scoffed. “She's only, what, thirty-eight? She's no old maid just yet.”  
“Well she certainly acts like it.”  
Frank laughed. “That is so true, though.”  
“But didn't you guys say you suspected there was something going on between your aunt and Jack Wayne?”  
“Oh there's definitely an attraction between them, no doubt about that,” said Joe. “But neither one has really acted upon it, maybe Jack thinks it's best to wait until things calm down. But with Dad, that might never happen.”  
“Maybe you guys should help hurry it along,” said Chet with a twinkle in his eye.  
“Us? Matchmakers?” Joe paused before glancing at Frank out of the corner of his eye. “Well, maybe I could give it a try, Frank’s just as bad as they are.”  
Frank blinked. “What in the world does that mean?” Before Joe could answer, someone's phone began ringing. All three reached into their pockets and pulled out their phones.   
“Not me,” said Joe.  
“Not me either,” said Chet. They glanced over Frank's shoulder as he glanced curiously at the number showing up. “Hey, isn't that an Illinois number?”  
Joe gasped. “You're right! Frank, answer it!”  
“But . . .”  
Joe began shaking him by the shoulders. “It's got to be Nancy, you idiot, who else in Illinois has our numbers?”   
“OK, OK! I’ll answer it! Just stop shaking me!” Joe stopped, and Frank answered the phone. “Um, hello, who is this?” His eyes widened and a slight blush came to his cheeks. Joe did a silent cheer. “Nancy! Hi! Wow, you're, you're calling my cell! This is, this is . . . wow!”   
Joe rolled his eyes. He tapped Frank's shoulder. “How's the mystery? coming?” he whispered. Frank held up a finger.  
“What? Didn't Joe tell you? I don't freak out, I geek out!” Joe nodded, grinning, yup, he said that a lot. He and Chet were surprised when Frank stood up. “Oh, Deirdre again?” Joe and Chet glanced at each other worriedly as Frank walked away, his words becoming muffled by the noises in the station. He walked towards the hall leading to the bathrooms.  
Chet glanced at Joe. “She's really got quite a few problems with Deirdre, huh?”  
Joe nodded and sighed. “Yeah, worse than what we’ve got with the Masons, way worse.” He winced as he said, “She's constantly bringing up how her mom is still alive.”  
Chet winced and let out a hiss of a breath. “Ouch, that's not right.”   
“You're telling me.” The two went silent for a few minutes, Joe sending up a quick prayer for Nancy. He glanced at his brother after a few minutes, he seemed a little perplexed. Was she talking to him about the mystery now? Was she close to solving it? He could tell Frank had put on his detective hat now. Joe longed to get involved, but he also really wanted his brother to interact one-on-one with Nancy some more. He was glad she called him instead of that Don guy. Joe was sure he was a great guy, but he was just as annoyed as Nancy that he hadn't stopped pestering her about getting a date. Some guys just couldn't take a hint.  
“Excuse me?” The two glanced up, a gentleman of about forty smiled at them. Joe noted the jacket draped over one arm, his grey at the temples of an otherwise dark head, amber eyes, and the fingers fiddling with a bill. “Sorry to disturb you, you both seemed so lost in thought.”  
Joe waved his hand. “Oh no, you're fine. We're just thinking to pass the time. Did you need help?”  
The guy nodded. “I do, in fact.” He showed them a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “I was wondering if you had any change? I forgot my card at home, and I wanted to get something from the vending machine, but the guy before me didn't get his change, and I need the money for when I get off at my next stop.”   
“Oh man, that sucks,” said Joe.  
“Really?” said Chet, glancing at the nearest vending machine.   
“Yeah, I know, weird, right?”   
Joe shrugged. “It's a machine, bound to run out of change at some point.” Both boys took out their wallets. “Well, I only have seven dollars in change . . .”  
“I have fifteen,” said Chet. He took out the fifteen dollars and pocketed his wallet. “Here, give him your five, I’ll break the twenty and give it back to you later.”   
Joe waved his hand. “Nah, it's fine.”   
“Oh thank you so much!” said the man as they exchanged bills. “You're a lifesaver!”   
“Anything we can do to help,” said Joe with a smile.   
“Well, I’ll leave you to the rest of your deep thinking while you wait. Thanks again!” The man walked away with a wave.  
“No problem!” chorused the boys as they waved back. A ringtone began going off. Joe quickly pulled out his phone.   
“Aw man!”  
“What?”   
Joe huffed. “Dad missed his connection. He’ll be here on the next train. Apparently he fell asleep and forgot to text until now.” He groaned and rolled his eyes. “Maybe we can go take care of the errands our moms wanted us to get done while we wait.”  
Chet nodded. “That’s a good idea. Better than waiting around here all day.”  
“I’ll get Frank.” Joe got up and walked to where he hoped Frank would see him and began waving his arms. Frank looked at him quizzically but shifted his weight, indicating he was going to say goodbye to Nancy. Joe watched him talk for a few more seconds, the look on his face meant he was being serious. Did that mean Nancy was going to be laying a trap for the villains? If so, Joe knew Frank would remind her to be extra careful. Not that she really needed the reminder, she knew the risks. But then he got sidetracked. A pretty brunette walked into his line of vision. Joe walked up to her with his signature grin. “Hey there, fancy meeting a lovely young lady like yourself here.”  
She smiled as she looked at him curiously. “Well, I do have to catch my train . . . to get to work.”   
Joe coughed. “Say what?”  
“You're what, sixteen?”  
“Fifteen,” he said with a slight squeak to his voice.  
“Well I'm twenty-five, a little old for you, don't you think?”  
“You look fifteen!”  
She laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks for brightening my day, but I really have to go! Bye!” She waved and walked off. Joe huffed and crossed his arms. He glanced back at his brother, who was still talking on the phone. Joe hoped he hadn't seen that fail. But was it really a fail if he brightened her day?   
Frank hung up the phone and walked to Joe. “What's going on?”  
“Dad’s apparently really tired. He missed his connection and just now texted me to tell me about it.” Joe glanced at Frank's phone. “Though I wonder if he tried you first. Didn't say if he did.”   
“Oh, you mean that pretty girl didn't make you forget that?” Joe rolled his eyes while Frank checked his phone. “Yeah, he did.”   
“Probably figured you were talking to Nancy,” Joe said with a huge grin.   
Frank's face got a little redder. “Joe!”   
Joe laughed. “Hey, you got me about that girl, it’s only fair. Come on, Chet and I figured it would be best to get those errands done real quick and then come back to pick up Dad.”   
Frank nodded. “That's a good idea. Besides, I’m sure Dad would prefer getting picked up in our car.”  
Joe chuckled. “Just don't tell Chet that.” They rejoined Chet and the three made their way to the Queen.   
“So where to first?” asked Frank as he got in the front seat.   
“Well,” said Chet as he put the key in the ignition, “I’m thinking the bank first. Don't want to sit around with this check in my wallet for too long.”   
Joe had a sudden thought. “Check to see if it's still there.”   
Chet chuckled. “I see what you did there.”  
“No, really, check it.”  
“Oh alright.” Chet pulled out his wallet and showed Joe the check. “See? Still there.”  
Frank glanced quizzically at his brother. “What's wrong?”  
“I . . . I don't know . . . I just got this funny feeling . . . I think I should have paid better attention to that guy.”  
Chet blanched. “You think he was up to no good?”   
Frank looked between them. “What guy?” Joe told him about the guy who asked for change as Chet pulled out of the driveway and into the street. “So, you didn't bother checking if his story about the vending machine was true?”  
“You’d normally think that he was telling the truth!” said Chet.  
Frank nodded. “Yeah, you would. A story like that is pretty plausible.” He glanced at Joe. “Besides, it was just a twenty, right?”   
Joe nodded slowly. “Yeah.”   
Frank shrugged. “Doesn't sound too suspicious. If it was a larger bill, definitely be concerned, but he wouldn't ask you then, he’d go to a store.”  
“Yeah, you're right. But, I don't know . . . I just have this feeling, and there was something about him that didn't seem right. I didn't notice it at first, but now that I think about it . . .”  
“Well we are going to the bank now, we can ask while we're there,” suggested Frank.  
Joe nodded. “Good idea.” Joe racked his brain for any reason that he would think like that. He replayed the scene over and over in his mind, wondering what exactly his subconscious picked up that concerned him. And why only now did he think of it? Was it because Chet mentioned the check? Had to have been, it involved money. Joe would not have wanted anyone to steal that check, the Mortons needed that money.   
They pulled into the bank parking lot, and all three practically leaped out of the car. The curiosity about Joe’s concerns made them rush in. They had to wait in line for a bit, but finally it was Chet’s turn. The clerk took care of the check and asked him if there was anything else.  
“Uh, yeah, actually, could you break this twenty please?”  
“Sure!” She took the bill with a smile, that smile fell as she fingered the bill, looking at it closely. She glanced at the boys. “Give me a moment.” She walked into the back of the bank.   
“Joe, I think you were right,” said Chet worriedly. Frank gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. They had to wait a few minutes before the clerk came back with the bank manager.   
“Where did you boys get this?” Joe and Chet took turns telling him about the guy at the train station. He nodded slowly. “Always a twenty, but . . .” He gave a low whistle.   
“Wh-what’s wrong with it?”  
The manager motioned them closer. “Notice anything off?”   
“Um, I-I don't see anything,” said Chet.   
“Of course you wouldn't notice right away, this is a fairly well-made counterfeit.”   
“Counterfeit!”   
The manager nodded. “Yup, and we've been seeing an influx of counterfeit bills lately, handed to us by our own customers! People we know for a fact who are trustworthy.” Frank and Joe glanced at each other in shock. Counterfeit money in Bayport? It looked like they just found their next mystery.


	2. Counterfeits

Frank leaned forward on the counter. “How can you tell its a fake?”   
The manager, Gilbert Tillens, took out a twenty bill from the drawer and handed it and the fake to Frank. “First major clue, feel them.”   
Frank’s eyes widened. “Why, the texture feels slightly different, and the weight too! It’s barely noticeable, but it's there!”   
The manager nodded. “Exactly, but you really wouldn’t notice until you actually compare the two. Or if,” he indicated himself and the clerk, “you’re like us and work with bills all the time, you can notice in a second.”  
“But for people who don't?” asked Joe.   
The manager reached back into the drawer and pulled out a marker as he spoke. “There are several ways one can tell if it's a counterfeit. This is one way, though it's not as commonly used anymore.” They watched intently as he drew a little line on each bill.   
Chet gasped. “They're two different colors!” The fake bill had a black line while the real bill had a brown line.  
Tillens nodded. “Exactly, this pen was created to help prevent the spread of counterfeits. However, it only works on counterfeits that actually use regular paper, which this one seems to be made of.”  
“And for counterfeits that use the same paper as the real thing?” asked Frank.   
Tillens shrugged. “Most people will simply hold the bill up to the light and look for the watermark. Or, if you have a bit more time, the little red and blue hairs. Another dead giveaway is the serial number. Most counterfeits use the same numbers, real bills are different.”   
“So, getting into the counterfeit business, huh?” The boys jumped and Chet yelped before they turned around. There was Chief Collig and Officer Reilly.   
“Don't scare us like that, Chief!” said Chet with a slight whine to his voice.   
Collig chuckled. “Hey, you're the ones with a fake twenty.”   
“But I didn't know!”   
Collig shook his head. “Of course you didn't. But those guys made one fatal mistake.”   
“What's that, Chief?” asked Joe.  
His eyes twinkled merrily. “They gave the Hardys their scent.”   
“So, I can hire them?” asked Tillens.  
Frank's and Joe’s heads swiveled from Tillens to Collig. “Hire us?”   
Collig nodded solemnly. “Yes, this is serious, and I know your dad, well, both of your parents now, are going to be out of town on another case. So, it's up to just the two of you. What do you say?”   
Joe glanced at Frank briefly before turning back to Collig, grinning from ear to ear. “Are you kidding? Of course we'll take it!”   
“Good!  
“Yeah! I want my fifteen bucks back,” said Chet.   
Joe winked. “You can count on it.”   
“Great! Now, there are a few things . . .”  
Frank held up his hand. “I'm sorry, Mr. Tillens, but we can't go over the mystery right now, our afternoon's packed. Maybe you can come by our house later this evening? Or we can meet you here tomorrow?”   
Tillens nodded. “Oh right, of course. How about you meet me here tomorrow, say, nine?”   
Frank nodded. “Sounds like a plan. We’ll talk to you tomorrow, Mr. Tillens.“  
“I’ll be there too,” said Collig.  
Tillens smiled with evident relief. “Good, thank you so much.”   
“No problem!” said Joe. The boys waved as they walked out the door with the officers.   
“Why are you coming, Chief?” asked Chet.  
“There's a few details I need to give Frank and Joe regarding the case, plus we can work on a plan of action to catch this gang of crooks and what to do with the counterfeits until then.”   
Frank nodded. “Good idea.”   
Chet glanced at his watch. “Well, we’d better get going if we're going to finish up those errands before we have to pick up your dad.”   
“Right. We’ll talk to you tomorrow, Chief!”   
“Bye Chief! Bye Officer Reilly!” The boys waved as the groups separated into their respective cars. The rest of the errands went smoothly, though the boys did spread the word about the counterfeits. The store owners already knew, but were glad to have the reminder. And the customers they told were glad for the warning and promised to help them keep an eye out for the people handing out the counterfeits. When they finished the errands, Chet turned the Queen towards the train station. Joe and Frank grinned at each other, so much for picking up their dad in a different vehicle.   
When they got to the station, one train was just leaving and it was announced that the next one was on its way in. Frank and Joe took to waiting on the platform while Chet sat down in one of the chairs and played on his phone.   
“Man, Dad's going to be pleased we have our own mystery to solve!” said Joe excitedly.   
“Even though you fell for the counterfeit?”   
Joe scoffed. “Oh come on, you would have too. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, you know.”   
Frank chuckled. “Touche, touche. And that counterfeit was made pretty well that to the untrained eye it looks genuine.”   
“I guess we’d better have at least bill on hand to differentiate until we're better at telling the difference.”   
Frank nodded. “Good idea. I also want to get a couple of those phonies to see if the serial number is the same as Mr. Tillens mentioned.”   
Joe grinned. “We might come out of this as experienced as a bank teller on money.”   
Frank chuckled. “I sure hope so. It would certainly help us notice them in the future. And it is good practice for a detective to know these things. Best learn these things now instead of later when we’ll really need it.”   
Joe nodded. “Right.” They didn't say more as the next train came screeching in. Both boys felt a rush of excitement, they hoped they would get a chance to ride a train one of these days. But their thoughts turned to finding their father as their eyes scanned the crowd departing the train. Frank saw him first and pointed him out to Joe.   
“There he is!” The two rushed towards the tall, stately gentleman who got off with only one suitcase and a briefcase.   
“Dad!” they called out. Fenton saw them and smiled. He put both bags down and wrapped an arm around each boy.   
“So, you two keeping out of trouble?”   
“How about we’re working on keeping counterfeits out of circulation?” said Joe with a merry grin and a twinkle in his blue eyes.  
Fenton raised an eyebrow. “Now this I have to hear.” Frank grabbed the suitcase and the two told him everything while they joined up with Chet and walked to the Queen. They got into the car and took off.   
Fenton nodded, seemingly impressed. “So, they made the dumbest mistake by handing you a counterfeit.”  
Joe laughed. “Chief Collig said something similar!”   
“They apparently didn't know who you were, otherwise we would have been avoided like the plague,” said Chet with a cheeky grin. “But if they didn't know who you were then, they certainly will soon!”   
“And they'll regret it,” said Fenton with a proud smile. He pursed his lips. “Hmm, I might have to ask Jack to keep an eye on you while your mother and I are gone.”   
“You mean dear old Aunt Trudy isn't enough?” asked Joe.  
Fenton snorted. “No, Joe, your dear old aunt isn’t quite enough. Your mother’s coming with me, remember? Trudy’s going to need all the help she can get to make sure you two are still in one piece when we get back.”   
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hardy, I can help with that! And I’m sure the rest of the gang will too!” piped up Chet.   
“Besides, I’m sure Chief Collig will be more than willing to have a few of his officers on standby in case we need them,” said Frank.   
Fenton nodded. “Oh I’m sure of it, but all the same, I would like it if someone stayed at the house with you. It would be easier to have Jack there than, say, having Collig send over one of his men to stand guard every night.”   
Frank nodded. “I see your point.”   
Joe grinned. “Well, this should be fun.” Though he was more thinking of trying to get his dear aunt and Jack to finally confess to each other. But he turned his mind back to the mystery, and namely, Fenton’s mystery. “Speaking of fun, is there anything you can tell us about your mystery, besides that you and Mom have to go undercover on a honeymoon?”   
Fenton chuckled as he shook his head. “No, not right now. I know I can trust you boys to keep this all a secret, but my employer has requested the utmost secrecy, I just barely got permission from him to let your mother in on it so she could help me properly.”   
Chet whistled. “Sounds really serious, Mr. Hardy.”   
Fenton nodded. “It is pretty serious, Chet, so serious that I really shouldn’t be mentioning anything right now.”   
“Oh, right.”   
Frank decided to start drilling him on what he knew about counterfeits. Joe and Chet chimed in with questions of their own, and Fenton gave them all the information he knew, quite a bit of which the boys had already learned at the bank. But they listened to everything he had to say until Chet pulled into the Hardy driveway.   
Chet jumped out of the Queen and opened the door for Fenton. “You have arrived at your destination, courtesy of Queen Cab Services!”   
Fenton chuckled. “Why thank you Chet. And what’s my fee?”   
“To get my fifteen dollars back from that no-good, rotten criminal.”   
Frank and Joe burst out laughing. “Guess that means the fare’s on us, Dad,” said Frank.   
Fenton laughed. “So it would seem.” Joe had grabbed Fenton’s suitcase out of the back and the four walked to the front door. Frank unlocked the door and let them in. Laura and Gertrude Hardy were in the living room, Gertrude was sitting on the sofa, reading a book, and Laura had just come out of the kitchen.   
“Fenton!” The two rushed towards each other, meeting in the middle with a hug and a kiss. The boys were grinning widely as they watched the loving embrace, but Joe glanced at Gertrude and noticed the slight longing in her eyes before she wiped it away.   
She scoffed. “Why do you need to do that now? You’ve only come to take her away with you and leave me with the rambunctious trouble-makers.”   
“Oh, but Auntie, we’re not going to be making any trouble, we’re going to be stopping it!” exclaimed Joe. He, Frank, and Chet took turns telling Laura and Gertrude about the counterfeit and that the bank manager, Mr. Tillens, hired them to get to the bottom of it.   
“Well, what a stroke of luck, not only will you be staying out of your aunt’s hair, you’ll be worrying her to death,” quipped Laura.   
“Stroke of luck indeed,” mumbled Gertrude.   
Fenton chuckled. “Which is why I was thinking of asking Jack over to help.” Gertrude looked sharply at him. “Just until we return, I’m hoping with Laura’s help my case will be over real soon and we can be back soon to help the boys crack this case.” He glanced at Frank and Joe. “That is, if you want our help.”   
Frank and Joe grinned. “Provided we don’t crack our case before you do,” said Joe with a twinkle in his eye.   
“But if we don’t, the help will be welcomed,” said Frank.   
Fenton laughed. “Alright, you’re on. Speaking of, Joe, can you take my suitcase to our room?” He picked up the briefcase. “I need to get your mother caught up on all the details. We should be out for dinner.” He glanced at Chet. “Are you staying?”   
Chet grinned sheepishly. “May I?”   
Fenton glanced at Gertrude. “Well, I’ll let Trudy decide that one, she’s going to be in charge soon.”   
Gertrude gave a little sniff at Fenton, but she smiled warmly at Chet. “Well of course you can stay Chet! I can always count on you to make sure these two knuckle brains stay out of trouble.”   
Chet grinned and gave her a salute. “That’s right, you can count on me!”   
A timer began going off in the kitchen. Gertrude rose. “And I can always count on you for an honest opinion of a new recipe.”   
“A new recipe!” Chet licked his lips. “Right again, ma’am, I’m your man!” He followed Gertrude into the kitchen. Fenton and Laura were already heading up the stairs when Joe remembered he had to bring up his father’s suitcase. He quickly picked up the luggage and dashed to their room. He set it down gently. He was passing the study where his parents were murmuring softly, but he paused when a few words sounded more clearer and stuck out to him. The first was a sentence that mentioned sabotage, the second was the word Elekton. Joe’s right eyebrow went up. Was that the name of the company that hired his parents? He quickly moved away from the door and went back down the stairs. He shouldn’t have even heard what he did, but he had and began mulling over it while he and Frank watched Chet’s appraisal of Gertrude’s new recipe. The sabotage part really intrigued him and hoped that his parents would be alright and successful in capturing the saboteurs. He really wanted to help with that. But the other word, Elekton, he felt sure he had heard or seen that somewhere before. But where? He finally shook the thoughts from his head when Frank nudged him slightly, a question on his face. Joe merely smiled. He hated to have to keep a secret from his brother, but seeing as how he wasn’t really supposed to have heard anything, it seemed the best way. He did explain to Frank later that night when the boys went to bed, but Frank understood why he couldn’t reveal what he had heard. Fenton’s employer apparently needed the absolute silence, and the Hardys were going to make sure they had it.


	3. Some Info

The boys were up bright and early. They had offered to bring their parents to the train station before heading towards their meeting at the bank. Their parents and aunt were already up when the boys made their way down the stairs, eating a pretty big breakfast.   
Joe gasped. “You didn’t wait for us?”   
Trudy scoffed. “And let you have a chance of eating everything before your parents even get a chance? I think not!”   
“Aw, come on Aunty, we would have left them something.”   
“The scraps from their own table, that’s what.”   
Fenton chuckled. “OK, Trudy, give it a rest. I’m glad Jack is going to be staying over. I need him here just to keep the peace!”   
Frank and Joe shot each other sly grins. If anything, that’s exactly what their aunt wanted. Sure, the two of them, Nancy, and Chet knew that Jack and Trudy had a thing for each other, but did Laura and Fenton know? The boys knew they hadn’t told them, though Joe did wonder why they made that deal with their aunt. It wasn't like she was making this any easier on them, at least for him, to keep their mouths shut.   
“There is enough food for you too,” Laura said. “Now hurry up and eat or else your father and I will call a cab.”   
“Yes ma'am,” mumbled the boys. They practically dove into the food and ate as quickly as they could. Fenton had already brought the luggage to the car, so when the boys finished eating, the whole family walked out to the car. Fenton got behind the wheel. It wasn't until they got about halfway to the station that Joe finally spoke up.  
“How, how long are you going to be gone?” The fact that both parents were leaving to solve a mystery finally hit them like a ton of bricks. They were excited that their mother was helping their father, but it was the first time both would be gone. “Having Jack over would be great and all, but I don't know how long I can stand being around Aunt Trudy by herself,” he quickly added.   
Fenton chuckled softly. “You’ll be fine.”   
Laura turned in her seat and patted Joe’s hand. “Think of it this way, since I’m with your father, we’ll solve this mystery in no time.”   
Fenton scoffed. “Are you saying I’m getting slow on the job?”   
Laura turned back around in her seat. “No dear, it's just you really do need me as I notice things you don't. After all, two heads are better than one,” she said, even though there was a twinkle in her eyes.  
Fenton laughed. “Touche, touche.” He patted her leg, and the next minute their fingers were intertwined. Joe beamed, it always made him feel so warm and glad when his parents showed their love to each other. He glanced at Frank, who seemed to be lost in thought.  
“Hello, Earth to Frank . . .”   
Frank snapped out of his thoughts. “Oh, um, what?”   
“Penny for your thoughts?”   
“If you actually paid up, I might tell you more often. You must owe me five bucks by now.”   
Joe's mouth dropped. “What?” Frank grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Laura and Fenton laughed.  
“Good one, Frank,” said Fenton. “But I too am curious about your thoughts.”   
Frank became a little more serious. “Well, I was just thinking, maybe we could find out a little more about our counterfeiter. We could at least find out where he got off at, see if they just make it seem like they're from out of town and operate in town, or if they really do operate out of town.”   
Fenton nodded. “That's definitely a good place to start.”   
“Maybe we can even find out if they operate a lot at the station,” said Joe, “or if they just hit a place and disappear until things cool down.”   
“That's good, figure out if there's a pattern, some way of nabbing them in the act.” Both boys nodded. The conversation had to stop at this point as Fenton pulled into a parking spot and the family got out of the car. Frank and Joe grabbed the luggage and followed their parents into the station. Fenton and Laura got their tickets at the booth and the family sat on one of the benches to wait for the train.   
“Wow, it’s going to be odd with you gone, Mom,” said Joe softly.   
Laura wrapped her arms around her youngest. “Oh we’ll be back before you know it.”   
“You know,” said Frank, “we don’t know who solved the last mystery first.”   
Fenton scoffed. “Well, considering it was just my luck to get captured and taken out of the running for a good while . . .”   
“We won?” asked Joe with a cheeky grin.   
“We certainly didn’t lose,” said Frank.   
Fenton eyed them both. “It doesn’t count.”   
“What?” the boys exclaimed. Laura hid her snickers behind her hand.   
“You heard me. You two practically took over my case, so it doesn’t count.”   
Joe gasped and crossed his arms. “Well, it’s not like you gave us much of a choice, you know!”   
Fenton’s face broke into a grin before he gave a chuckle. “I know, I know, but that’s what I mean by it doesn’t count. You two and your mom caught the whole gang and got them all nicely tied up with a bow for me!”   
Joe scoffed. “Not our fault the two cases were connected, and we saw it coming a mile away!”   
Fenton laughed. “Very true. Well, how about we try again? I know for a fact there are no counterfeits connected with my case.”   
Frank shot him his best puppy dog eyes. “Could you at least give us a little hint as to what your case is about?”   
Fenton held up a finger, a twinkle in his eyes. “There is a little hint on my desk. I’ve left some instructions for the two of you, and your friends, if you choose to include them.”   
“I think it would be best to include them, and maybe have the girls along as well,” suggested Laura.   
“Ooh, OK, now I’m eager to get back to the house and found out what these instructions entail,” said Joe with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.   
Fenton glanced at Frank. “I’m sorry.”   
Frank laughed. “Don't be, I’m bursting with curiosity myself!” The incoming train gave out a loud hoot as it came screeching to a stop. The loudspeaker announced that it was the train to New York City as a few people stepped off the train.  
“Well, there's our train.” Fenton stood up and pulled Frank into a hug. “You and your brother take care of each other.”   
“We will.”   
Laura wrapped Joe in a tight hug. “You be nice to your aunt when we're gone, and listen to your brother.”   
“Don't I always?” said Joe with a smug grin.   
Laura scoffed. “You and I both know the answer to that.” Joe laughed before giving her another tight hug. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before he switched places with Frank. “You know the drill, keep an eye on your brother and keep him out of trouble, though that's typically just with your aunt.”  
Frank laughed. “Don't I know it.”  
“All aboard!” Laura gave Frank a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing a suitcase and following Fenton onto the train. They turned and waved.   
“Bye!” chorused the boys as they waved back. They watched the train leave the station, not moving from their spot until the roar of its engine faded into the distance. Frank pulled out his phone and glanced at the time.  
“We’ve got enough time to ask around about our counterfeiter before we need to head out to the bank.”   
Joe nodded. “I take one half, you take the other?”   
Frank nodded. “Meet back at the car in fifteen minutes.” The two split up, keeping a sharp eye out for their man while they asked about him. But both returned to the car with no results.   
Frank pulled the car into the bank parking lot a couple of minutes before nine. They saw Mr. Tillens was unlocking the bank as Chief Collig hovered nearby. Collig saw the boys and waved.  
“Hiya Chief!” said Joe. He saluted him. “Frank and Joe Hardy reporting for duty!”   
Collig chuckled. “Good. I assume your parents caught their train?”   
Frank nodded. “We personally escorted them ourselves.”   
Collig grinned. “Good to know. And now that they're on their way to their mystery, let's get you two started on yours.” The three followed Tillens into the bank. Tillens went around getting the bank ready to open while Collig led the boys to a back office. They only had to wait a couple of minutes before Tillens joined them. He sat down behind his desk.   
“So, counterfeits. I already gave you two a bit of info on the matter.” He opened a drawer and pulled out four bills. “We got a few more counterfeits after you left.” He handed two bills to each boy. “Here's one real bill and one counterfeit.”   
“May we keep these?” asked Frank as they took them.   
Tillens nodded. “Of course! That's why I'm giving them to you. What you do with the counterfeits after you’ve rounded up these crooks is up to you. And consider the real bills an advance on your payment for solving this.”   
Joe's mouth dropped. “We're getting paid?”   
Tillens shrugged. “Well yeah, I hired you! It only makes sense.”   
Frank grinned sheepishly. “True that.”   
“Speaking of,” said Collig as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. “This is for you two as well.” Joe, being the closest, took the check. His mouth dropped.   
“Mr. Applegate paid us too?”   
Frank looked over his shoulder and gave a low whistle. “That's quite a bit!”   
Joe glanced at him with a twinkle in his eye. “We can start saving up to go visit a certain pen pal!”   
But Frank ignored him as a question popped into his head. “Why didn't Mr. Applegate give us this himself?”   
“He wasn't sure how much he should give you, it wasn't something you had talked about. He came over to the station yesterday and talked to me about it. I told him I would be seeing you today, so he asked me to give it to you. Plus, I think the greenhouse has been keeping him busier than he thought.”   
“Wow!”   
“Well, um, we don't have any bank accounts,” began Frank.  
“And I can't open one for you without your parents,” said Tillens.   
Joe let out a huff. “So then what can we do with the check?”   
Tillens held up a finger before getting up and going towards a safe. He opened it up. “I can put it in here until you’re able to open an account.”   
“That would be fantastic, Mr. Tillens. Thanks!” said Frank. Joe handed over the check and Tillens locked it in the safe. He sat back down.   
“I’ll put the rest of your compensation in there as well.”   
“Great! But we have to solve this mystery first,” said Joe.  
“Speaking of,” said Frank, leaning forward, “besides the counterfeits, is there any information you can give us about the man, or men, handing them out?”   
Tillens thought a moment, then shrugged. “Not much, I’m afraid.” He nodded at Collig. “I think the chief has more on that than I do.” The boys glanced at Collig expectantly.  
Collig shook his head. “Not much more than what you gave me, Joe. Not everyone else happens to be an observant son of a great detective. They weren't paying that much attention, and what they did give me makes it sound like the guy you met is their main distributor.”   
Frank glanced between Collig and Tillens. “What about a list of places and people that have gotten a counterfeits?”   
“I have that,” said Collig. “I can send you the list when I get back to the office. I still managed to forget it even after giving myself every reminder,” he added with a soft chuckle.   
Frank nodded. “Good, thanks. We’ll go over it and see if there's some sort of pattern.”   
“I’ve already looked for one, didn't see any. They might just be going around, hitting random stores and people so there is no pattern that will lead to their capture.”   
“But not having a pattern is a pattern, so to speak. It certainly makes them stand out more and could lead to a swifter arrest,” said Frank.  
Collig nodded, beaming. “That's certainly a good way of looking at it. I definitely hope that is the case.”   
“What did you notice so far?” asked Joe.  
Collig sighed. “That basically everyone gets hit once, and there are still people and stores that haven't been hit.”   
“How long has this been going on?” asked Frank.   
Collig pursed his lips as he thought. “Well, we started getting the first reports in about two weeks ago.”   
Tillens nodded. “Which is about the time we started getting them as well.” He turned to the Hardy's. “It didn't seem that bad at first, but it's gotten worse since then. We're seeing a counterfeit almost every day!”   
Joe gave a low whistle. “Wonder why that is?”   
Collig held up his hand, putting up one, then two fingers. “Seems like there's two possibilities, one, the gang now has more counterfeits to hand out, and/or two, they're moving out. Not many counterfeit gangs like carrying all their fakes with them.”   
Frank nodded. “That would make sense, less to have to carry.”  
“And no paper trail. They get rid of what they have, they move, and then they make more.”   
Joe nodded. “Less chance of people catching on as quickly.”   
“Exactly.”   
Frank let out a breath. “Well, that's not exactly much to go on . . .”  
Collig shrugged. “It's normal for a counterfeit gang.”   
Joe snapped his fingers. “Maybe we can get each of the guys to stake out one of the stores that haven't been hit!”   
“That's not a bad idea! But I'm afraid there's still quite a few stores that haven't been hit, you wouldn't be able to stake them all out.”   
Tillens chuckled. “Bayport sure is growing.”   
Joe rubbed his chin. “But there's got to be some way of narrowing it down.”   
“I think the counterfeiters will do that themselves,” said Frank. “Unless they realize that they're being watched.”   
Collig shrugged. “Sure, but I think Joe's plan will work either way. There's still a high chance one of your friends could be staking out the store they pass off a counterfeit.”   
Tillens nodded. “I agree. It will certainly help if your friends alerted everyone in the store about the counterfeits too. As evidenced by your brother's experience yesterday, they could just approach anyone in the street and ask for change.” Joe nodded emphatically. The four jumped when loud banging came at the door. Tillens and Collig shared a glance. Collig placed his hand on his gun and nodded at Tillens. Tillens nodded and rose from the desk. He walked to the door as banging could be heard again, more frantically this time. He opened it, and Chet and Tony Prito burst into the room, panting.   
Frank and Joe jumped up. “Chet, Tony, what's going on?”   
Chet held up two fingers before speaking between breaths of air. “Mr. Prito . . . got two counterfeits!”   
Their eyes bulged. “What?”   
Tony nodded. “Just a few minutes ago! Chet was there, getting some stuff for his farm and recognized them as fake right away!”   
“Good ole Chet!” cheered Joe.   
“Yeah, but the guy who gave it was already gone by that time! And guys, it was a different guy!”   
“Say what?”   
“Were there any distinguishable features?”   
Chet nodded. “Yeah, he was driving a green, unmarked truck! And according to the guy who took the money, there was a kid our age with him!”


	4. Another Report

Collig, Frank, and Joe followed Chet and Tony back to Prito’s Supply Yard. Neither Chet nor Tony got a good luck at the duo in the green truck, so they had to talk to the guy who did see them. Hopefully he noticed which direction they took, or know what the order was for. They just needed one clue to get them started rolling.   
As soon as they got to the lumber yard, Tony sought out the guy and introduced them to Mike Thornton. Collig took the lead in the questioning.  
“Can you give us a detailed description of the truck, the man, and/or the boy? Anything you remember could help,” said Collig as he pulled out a notebook. Frank had pulled out one at the same time and both boys listened intently to Mike’s answers.  
“Well, Chief, the truck was just your regular pickup truck. It did have a dent on the front left fender, but other than that it was unmarked.” He paused and thought for a moment. “As for the guy, well, he was in a rush, that's for sure. He had on a cap, had it down low. But I could tell he had brown hair and green eyes. Those green eyes of his were hard to miss, almost matched the truck. That was my first thought. He was a tough-looking fellow. When I think back on it, I realize that he was acting slightly suspicious. I didn't think anything of it at the time, we were so busy at the moment and, like I said, he was in a hurry. Yet for a guy who was in a hurry, he didn't get out to help me load the truck. The boy did, he seemed alright to me. Pretty nice and jovial, whistling a tune while we worked. I do think he believed this was just a part of his job.”   
“Did you happen to find out where they were taking the supplies?” asked Frank.   
“Oh yeah, we all knew, this was supplies for the Elekton company, they've been remodeling that old mill and they're building on the surrounding land. I think that was their last trip.”   
Joe's eyes just about bulged. Oh please don't let the cases be connected! But he was having a sinking feeling that they were. And here he was hoping that he and Frank could solve their very own mystery.  
Frank noticed the look of surprise on his brother's face and nudged him. “What's wrong?” he whispered.   
Joe shot him a sheepish grin. “I think we had better get back home soon and take a look at Dad's instructions.” Frank tilted his head, a quizzical look on his face. What was Joe talking about? His mind whirled with possibilities, then his mouth slowly dropped. Was Dad working for Elekton? Joe placed a finger to his lips, and the two turned back to Collig and Mike, who were watching them quizzically.   
“Anything you boys want to share with us?” asked Collig.   
Frank shook his head. “Oh no, it's just Dad gave us some instructions concerning his case. We figured we'd hurry up here and find out what they were, to see if they might give us a hand in our case.”   
Collig nodded slowly. “OK.” He glanced between the two. “You know, I very highly doubt these two cases are connected.”   
“Wait, you know what Dad’s case is?” asked Joe incredulously.   
Collig turned back to Mike. “Was there anything else you recall?”   
“Um, not really. I merely told the boy, I did find out his name is Ken, about Tony since he looked to be about his age. He said when he had a chance that he would like to come back and meet him.”   
“I hope he does,” piped up Tony. “I think I would like to meet him myself and find out why he's working for criminals.”   
“If he and the criminals are working for the same company,” ventured Collig, “he isn't working for them but working alongside them and probably has no idea that they're criminals. Innocent until proven guilty. Heck, this guy might have even be someone who met the distributor on the way over and that's how you ended up with two counterfeits.” Collig closed his notebook. “Well, I think we have all we can get right now. Thank you Mike.”   
“You're welcome, Chief, boys. Have a blessed day!”   
“Thanks, you too!” chorused the group, waving as John walked back to work.   
Collig turned to Tony. “I’d like a word with your father.”   
Tony nodded. “He should be in the office. This way.” He led the group towards the main building. Chet walked with the Hardys.  
“What instructions?” whispered Chet.   
“We have to get home and find out, but Mom suggested we bring a few friends along,” Joe whispered back.   
“So, I’d better get back home and get Iola and a picnic basket all set, huh?”   
Frank chuckled. “That's the best thing. Thanks.” They stopped talking as they walked into Mr. Prito’s office. Mr. Prito looked almost like an older version of his son, dark curls and piercing eyes. The boys had found him intimidating the first time they had met, but they warmed up to him quickly.   
He shook hands with Collig. “Hello Chief, welcome to my humble shop. And I guess getting these counterfeits is a good thing. We finally got the Hardy boys to come by. “ His face broke out into a warm smile as he winked at the Hardys. Frank and Joe laughed.  
“We're sorry we never got the chance to come by,” began Frank.  
Mr. Prito held up his hand. “There's no need to apologise. When a man’s sons are interested in his work, it makes him happy to be able to share another thing with them.” His face hardened. “And situations like this are good lessons too. I'm just happy it wasn't the entire payment, or I’d be in a real bind.” Tony's lips formed a hard line as he nodded grimly.   
“Did you get a good look at the guy?” asked Frank.   
Mr. Prito shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I was busy handling another order and let Mike take care of it.”   
“Was there anyone close to Mike’s position who could have seen the truck and the guy who drove it?” asked Joe.   
Mr. Prito thought a moment before slowly shaking his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, the truck was obviously hard to miss, we all saw that. But I don’t think anyone was close enough to see as many details as what Mike saw.”   
“Is this the first time you’ve done business with Elekton?”   
Mr. Prito shook his head. “No, but this is the last time they will come by. I took care of the previous trip. The last time they were here, the guy who drove it was a guard apparently at Elekton and told me that they needed just this last order and told me that someone would pick it up in the same truck, so that’s how we knew it was coming.”   
“So, they’ve been using this truck to pick up all the orders for Elekton?” asked Frank.   
Mr. Prito nodded. “Yup.”   
Joe let out a huff. “Well, that could be a dead end. The guy could have merely given his change for counterfeits, like the chief suggested.”   
Collig nodded. “It is a possibility. I think you boys can head over to Elekton and ask them to talk to the driver about it, simply tell him that he handed counterfeits to Mike and see how he reacts. That should give you a good idea if he’s in on the counterfeiting business or not.”   
“And maybe find out more about Ken too,” said Frank. “Since he works at Elekton, maybe he can help us as well.”   
“Provided he’s not working for the criminals,” mumbled Tony.   
“We’ll get an idea from talking to him if he is or isn’t,” said Frank, “but we’ve got to meet him first. If he does come back here to meet you Tony, can you let us know so we can meet him too?”   
Tony nodded fervently. “You bet!”   
Frank smiled. “Thanks! I think we’ve gotten all the information that we can. Joe and I better get home and find out what Dad wanted us to do in his absence.”   
Collig nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll fax over that list to you when I get to the station, and after I’ve added Prito’s Supply Yard to it.”   
Frank nodded. “Sounds good, Chief.”   
“You’re the best, Chief!” said Joe.   
Collig beamed. “I try. Well, good day boys, keep me posted on any developments, and I’ll keep you posted on any developments.” He turned to Mr. Prito. “And a good day to you too sir, I hope there’ll be no more counterfeits in your future.”   
Mr. Prito gave him a hearty handshake. “I do too, but I’m sure of it now that you and the Hardys are on the case!”   
Collig grinned. “We’ll do our best to wrap this up quickly and efficiently. Good day.”   
“Bye!” chorused the boys as they waved to him.   
“We’d better go too,” said Frank. “We’ll keep in touch, Mr. Prito!”   
“Sounds good! And you two are more than welcome to join us for dinner anytime! Just, be sure to call us before you head over so my wife will know you’re coming.”   
Frank chuckled. “We’ll do that, sir. You guys have a better rest of your day!”   
“You too!”  
Chet walked with the Hardys back to their vehicles. He didn’t speak up until they were getting into their car. “So, you’ll let me know about those instructions, right? If you need me to pack a picnic lunch and Iola if I have to?”   
Joe laughed. “Yeah Chet, be ready at a moment's notice!”   
“We might not even be going today,” said Frank. “It all depends on what exactly the instructions are. We’ll text you once we’ve made a plan.”   
Chet nodded slowly, seemingly thinking hard about something. “Sounds good. Talk to you later!”   
“See ya!” With a wave, the boys left. They were about halfway home when Frank spoke.  
“You overheard Dad mention Elekton in his meeting with Mom, didn't you?” Joe winced, but didn't say a word. “You know, if Dad does want us to check out the new Elekton building, it could work to our advantage.”   
“I just don't want the cases connected,” mumbled Joe with a groan.   
Frank shrugged. “It's not up to us if they end up being connected, we just have to be the first ones to solve it.” He sighed. “But I agree, I don't want them connected either. But this is only our second mystery. I'm sure we'll get quite a few of our own that's not connected to one of Dad's cases.”   
“We’d better,” mumbled Joe.   
“And who knows, maybe the gang we’re after just use the Elekton building as their base of operations and isn't connected to Dad's case.”   
Joe sighed. “Guess there's only one way to find out, we solve this mystery before Dad solves his.”   
When the boys got home, they dashed up the stairs to their father’s study with a passing hello to their aunt and Jack Wayne, who were sitting in the living room.   
“Well I’ll be!” was all they heard from their aunt before they made it up the stairs. Frank shut the study door while Joe nearly lunged for the desk. Frank joined him, and the two read the note.   
“I can let you in on a little part of my case,” the note read, “but don't tell a soul. I am working undercover at the request of Elekton’s president. There is a new building being put up in Bayport. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, they bought that old mill and are remodeling it for their purposes. I need you two to keep an inconspicuous eye on it, if you can. Find any reason to go out there and check on it periodically. Text me if there's any suspicious activity. Love you both, Dad.”   
“Oh there's suspicious activity alright,” mumbled Joe. “But not the kind he’s looking for.”  
Frank sighed. “He didn't know that the counterfeiters would set up base at the old mill.” He glanced at his brother. “So you did hear him mention Elekton in his conversation with Mom, didn't you.”   
Joe winced. “Yeah, I didn't mean to, but now that we know for sure he's working for them, what do you think the case is?”   
Frank thought a moment then snapped his fingers. “You remember the explosions that has happened at almost every Elekton lab so far?”   
“Hey, you're right! There's only been two that hasn't been hit yet! Dad must have gone undercover to keep an eye on the New Jersey one.”   
“And to keep his bases covered, has us keep an eye on this one.”   
“But I wonder what the motive is? A rival company? Government secrets?”  
Frank shrugged. “Guess we'll find out when Dad's solved it. Right now, we have our assignment from him and it takes us exactly where we need to go for our mystery.” He thought a moment. Should they head out there today, now knowing that the green truck belonged to Elekton? Not only that, but what exactly were they supposed to be looking for for their dad’s case? Just suspicious behavior? Possible bombs? “Joe, I think we’d better get a feel for the area right away. Let's call Chet and the girls. And I think we should find out if there were counterfeits going on right before the other explosions, just in case.”   
Joe sighed. “And if they were?”  
Frank pouted. “Well, for one thing, I don’t know why Dad wouldn’t have found that. He and Chief Collig seem insistent on the fact that counterfeits aren’t involved in his case, but if it’s a small pattern that might have been missed . . . maybe Mom will pick up on it? I don’t know, but it’s an angle we need to go over to make sure they’re not connected. Just to cover our bases.”   
Joe groaned. “Fine, you’re right. Should I text Chet and the girls or do you want to?”   
“You can,” said Frank as he got into the chair and pulled up to the computer. “I want to make look up articles from around the time of the explosions and see if there were any reports of counterfeits.”   
“Got it.” Joe pulled out his phone and texted Chet, his sister Iola, and her friends Callie Shaw and Ellen Osbourne. All answered back in the positive, saying they would meet the Hardys at their house in a few minutes and Chet could take them all in the Queen from there. When Joe looked back up, Frank’s forehead was furrowed in thought. He moved around to look at the computer screen. “What is it?” Several tabs were open of newspaper articles.  
“Nothing, no counterfeits, there’s not so much a clue as to how the explosives were gotten into the labs. Which is probably what Dad’s looking into.”   
Joe let out a breath. “So they’re not connected, it’s just the location.”   
“So it would seem. The counterfeiters must have gotten jobs at Elekton so they can come and go as they please.”   
“And the saboteur might still be in New Jersey. Mom and Dad could catch him before he even gets here, which I hope will happen.”   
Frank glanced at Joe with a twinkle in his eyes. “And you know what that means, right?”   
Joe grinned. “We’d better get a move on on finding clues!”   
Frank nodded. “Yup. Come on, we’d better be ready for when our ride gets here.”   
“Right!” The two quickly changed out of slacks and into jeans. They dashed down the stairs and quickly told Jack and Trudy their plans. Jack was able to wish them well before they dashed out the door. It was already almost noon, but the two were determined to make the most of every minute.


	5. A Close Call

The boys didn’t have to wait for too long, Chet and the girls arrived within a matter of minutes. Ellen Osbourne, who sat next to Chet, was a lovely, plump girl with mousy brown, wavy hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and hazel eyes. She was wearing her favorite summer dress, a pale green with gold and silver stars. She was a very caring person, nicknamed lovingly by her schoolmates as “Mother Hen” and voted the friendliest and most likely to be married by the time she was 21. Callie Shaw, who was sitting next to her, was slender with golden blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes and was voted as the prettiest girl in all of Bayport. She could have picked any guy to go out with, but she picked Frank, most likely because Adam Mason wouldn’t leave her alone otherwise. Chet’s sister Iola was sitting in the back seat. She had dark auburn hair and grey-green eyes. She had been voted most likely to become a politician. She was intelligent and determined to do some good in the world. She and Callie were both wearing T-shirts and jeans.   
Iola batted her eyelashes at Joe. “You boys starting the summer off with a mystery and you’ve decided to invite little ole us along?”   
Joe shrugged and grinned as he got into the back next to her. “Hey, why not, the more the merrier, right?”   
Frank chuckled as he got into the back behind Callie. “It certainly helps having extra eyes and ears in a case, you never know what you might overlook that someone else will notice.”   
Callie turned in her seat and smiled at him. “So, can you tell us why we have to go on this little picnic? Chet was saying something about a case.”   
Frank nodded as Chet started the Queen and pulled out of the driveway. “Joe and I are working on finding out who's handing out counterfeits and Tony got us an important clue. The counterfeits they were handed this morning was given to them by an employee of Elekton.” He and Joe figured it was best that they not divulge the information their father had given them, or that this was actually part of his instructions to them.   
Iola gasped. “You think Elekton hired someone untrustworthy?”   
Joe shrugged. “That's what we hope to find out. Though I'm betting they didn't know that the guy they hired was going to hand out counterfeits.”   
Frank nodded. “We’ve checked into newspapers articles in cities where Elekton has labs, this seems to be an isolated case.”   
“But why here?” asked Chet. “Don't they know that the famous detective and his equally as smart family live here?”   
Frank and Joe laughed. “If anything, they were probably figuring on making this a quick setup before bailing out of town,” said Joe.  
“That, and they were probably trying to keep this under the radar so Dad wouldn't get called in on the case. He mainly deals with higher end cases, I guess you could call them, and they figured they can pull one over the local police.”   
“But we’ve got the best police this side of the Atlantic,” said Joe with a grin. “They haven't been working with Dad for nothing.”   
“But the Chief called in you two to solve this,” said Ellen. “Why's that?”   
Frank shrugged. “I guess you could say that two teens are less likely to arouse their suspicion.”   
“They might even think we're not going to be taken seriously either.”   
Frank nodded. “There's that too.”   
Chet chuckled. “If that is the case, hoo boy, are they in for a surprise!”   
“Plus, I think that since they jibbed you, Chet, and Prito’s Lumber Yard, we’d definitely want to catch this guy. No one steals from our friends!” Joe's outburst brought a cheer.   
“And that's the real reason everyone likes you two,” said Callie warmly. “You take of your friends!”   
Iola pecked Joe’s cheek. “And I know you’ll catch them!”   
Joe put his arm around her. “You can count on that!” Then he peered into her eyes. “And what's this I hear about another mystery? You girls planning something?”   
Iola giggled. “We definitely are! But it's a secret for now. We'll tell you when it's time.” She winked.   
Frank turned to Callie. “You seriously aren't going to tell us?”   
She and Ellen both shook their heads, grinning wide. “Oh no we won't, and we know you two well enough that we can keep you from finding out.”   
Joe moaned. “Aw, come on girls! Just a little hint?”   
All three shook their heads. “Nope,” they chorused. Joe shot a pout at Chet. Chet saw him in the rearview mirror and just shrugged helplessly while giving him a sheepish grin.   
Joe sighed as he slumped back in his seat. “Aw man! Now you’ve got me really curious!”   
Iola grinned and waggled her eyebrows at him. “Exactly.”   
Joe groaned playfully before shooting her his most flirtatious grin. “No hint? Not even for a kiss?”   
Iola shook her head. “Nope! You’re not going to tempt me into telling you this time!” Callie and Ellen cheered her on while Joe gave a groan and Frank and Chet laughed.   
Frank nudged Joe. “Guess your natural charm isn’t going to work this time.”   
“But it’s worked every time!”  
“Hey, we want to keep this a surprise! It wouldn’t be much fun if we gave you even one hint because you’d figure it out in no time!”   
“So it is a surprise party!” exclaimed Joe.   
“My point exactly,” mumbled Iola.   
“But you don’t know what the party’s all about, or when, or any other information,” pointed out Callie. “So it’s not like you got much.”   
Frank chuckled as he put up his hands. “Alright, alright, we’ll stop asking about it. It’s no fun planning a surprise party only to have it ruined. Right Joe?”   
Joe humphed and crossed his arms. “Oh fine.”   
Iola snuggled closer. “Don’t worry, you’ll be among the first to know. You have to, gotta make sure you make time for it now that you two are using your summer to solve whatever mysteries you can get your hands on. At least, that’s what it seems like now.”   
“Hey, this is only our second mystery!”   
Iola wagged her finger. “But we know you well enough to know that you will go looking for mysteries this whole summer if they don’t land in your lap!”   
Frank laughed. “She’s got a point, Joe. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for any mysteries to solve!”   
Iola grinned at Joe. “See?”   
Joe had to laugh himself. “Alright, alright, I see your point. We definitely would. So, when exactly should we expect this invitation?”   
Iola glanced at her brother. “When Chet has to get all secretive.”   
The Hardys glanced at their closest friend. “What?”   
He looked at them in surprise through the rear view mirror before looking over at Ellen. “Now what nonsense is my kid sister talking about now? Why do I have to be so secretive?”   
Ellen patted his shoulder. “Because this part doesn’t have to be a secret, it’s going to take place at your farm! So when it comes time to set up the party, you’ll be in the know.”   
Joe huffed. “Lucky.”   
Chet grinned. “Yeah, it’s harder for you to get a secret out of me than Iola, and if she’s giving you a hard time about this . . . man, this is going to be good!”   
“Oh, you’re no fun,” mumbled Joe. The others laughed.   
Chet cleared his throat as he brought the car to a stop. “Ladies and gentlemen, the old mill of Bayport!” He pointed down the riverbank. “And Dad’s favorite fishing spot is just a few feet from here. He’s working today, so we won’t see him.”   
Iola let out a huff. “I almost wish he wasn’t just so we could have someone we know nearby.”  
“But we’re here to protect you,” said Joe.   
Iola swatted him. “Ha! If your first mystery was any indication of the trouble you two get into, we should stay as far away from you as possible!”   
“No argument there,” mumbled Joe.   
Callie chuckled. “If anything, we’re here to protect you!”   
“Uh-huh,” said Joe, giving Frank a meaningful look and waggled his eyebrows.  
Frank blushed slightly. He knew far too well what that look meant, Joe was thinking of his favorite scenario, that of Nancy saving Frank from imminent danger. “Joe, don’t even think about it!”   
Joe shot him a cheeky grin. “Too late.” With a burst of laughter, Joe dashed off through the woods, Frank in hot pursuit.   
“Oh come on you two!” Iola shouted after them as Chet and Ellen pulled out the picnic. After Frank tackled Joe to the ground and the two wrestled for a bit, they rejoined their group and helped them look for a suitable picnic spot. They found one near the river not from where the old mill stood. They chatted gaily of school life while the Hardys kept glancing at the mill. Nothing seemed to be happening besides the mill turning, no one seemed to be there. After they had eaten their fill of roast beef sandwiches, grapes, and carrots, the Hardys decided on marching right over to the mill and seeing if they could get some answers.   
“Are you sure that’s a good idea though?” asked Chet as he and Frank folded the picnic blanket.   
Frank shrugged. “It’s the only option. I haven’t seen any movement in that mill since we’ve arrived.”   
“Which is odd considering this is supposed to be a guard post for Elekton,” said Joe as he helped the girls put the dirty plasticware in a bag. “You’d think you’d see someone, well, guarding the place.”   
Chet glanced at the mill. “Well, they might be inside looking at the security tapes, you know, like they’re always doing in the movies. The guard might not come until you go knocking at his door.”   
“True that. Come on, Joe, let’s go check it out.”   
“Hey! And what should we be doing?” asked Chet.   
Frank turned to him. “You could stay here and be our guard. If anything should happen, one of you could go for the police while the rest try to help us out.”   
“And try not to get captured at the same time. Yeah, yeah, no pressure or anything.”   
“It’s certainly not a tall order,” said Joe.   
“Just give us a couple of minutes, OK?” said Frank. “We’ll be back if we don’t find out anything.”   
“OK then, better get moving, I’m going to time you,” said Callie as she pulled out her phone and pulled up a timer.   
“You heard her, Joe, let’s get moving!” The two dashed towards the mill. Frank walked up to the door and pounded on it. Joe took a little step back to see if anyone should come to the window. When no answer came to Frank’s first knock, he pounded on it again. The two jumped when the door opened abruptly.   
“What do you two want?” growled a muscular man in a guard uniform with the word Elekton printed on his right shoulder.   
“We, uh, we wanted to ask you about a load of supplies someone just picked up from Prito’s Supply Yard,” said Frank.   
The guard crossed his arms. “What about it? Did Docker forget something?”   
“Yeah,” said Joe, “two counterfeits.”   
The man glanced slowly from Frank to Joe. “OK, who are you two jokers?”   
“We’re serious!” exclaimed Joe. “The police chief confirmed it!”   
“That’s nonsense! Our supervisor gave Docker that wad of cash! Are you suggesting our supervisor is untrustworthy now?”   
“N-no,” said Frank, trying to speak calmly to keep the man from exploding in his face. “But there have been reports of people getting duped into giving out change for counterfeits. More than likely your supervisor was one such person and didn’t realize it.”   
The guard humphed. “Yeah, more than likely. Now, unless there’s some actual Elekton business you’re here for, I don’t want to see you back here ever again, got it?”   
“Y-yes sir,” chorused the boys.   
“Good.” With that, the guard slammed the door in their faces.   
“Man, what a temper.”   
“Must have been having a bad day or something,” suggested Frank.   
Joe scoffed. “Or something, I’d say.”   
Frank sighed. “Well, that’s a dead end. Does that put your mind at ease now?”   
Joe smirked. “That the two definitely aren’t connected? Absolutely!”   
Frank chuckled. “Good. Now let’s see if we can’t turn this excursion into something pleasant. Let’s explore a bit before heading home.”   
Joe nodded. “Sounds good!” They rejoined their friends and told them of the incident as well as announced that they wanted to explore a bit.   
“Exploring sounds like a great idea!” said Chet. “Dad often spoke of this as one of his favorite places to roam around in his younger days, back when the mill was actually a mill. I’d like to see what he liked about it.”   
“Amazing that you’ve never really been up this way,” said Joe as they began to trek through the woods.   
Chet shrugged. “Farm life can get real busy real fast.”   
“And not another word about it from you, Joe Hardy,” said Iola. “I’d like to see you try and take care of a farm!”   
Joe chuckled. “Alright! I’ll take your word for it.”   
“Besides, it’s not like you two have visited every single place in Bayport either,” pointed out Callie. “Wasn’t your mystery the first time you had ever been to the old Pollitt place?”   
“Hey, it was my first time too, and that’s only because I thought it was really haunted!” said Chet.   
“And you didn’t invite us! How rude!” said Iola with a toss of her head.   
“Well we invited you this time, didn’t we?” said Joe, giving her his best smile.   
“I’m kind of glad I wasn’t along for the ride,” said Ellen. “It sounded rather dangerous!”   
“It was dangerous! But that’s what makes it so much fun! Oof! Hey, Frank!” Frank had taken the lead and stopped abruptly, causing Joe to crash into him.   
“Ssh! Do you hear that?”   
“Hear what?” whispered Joe. The group went silent for a moment, listening intently for whatever Frank had heard.   
“I don’t hear anything,” whispered Iola.   
“What did you hear?’ asked Joe.   
“I thought I heard something in the bushes.”   
Chet shrugged. “Could have just been a rabbit.”   
Frank glanced around the forest. “Yeah, it could have been. Sorry.”   
Callie wrapped her arm around his. “No need to apologize. You’re on a mystery and you just talked to an angry man, it would make sense that your senses are on high alert.”   
Frank shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.” He took a step and paused again.   
“Now what?” asked Iola.   
“I think I see a cave!”   
“Ooh, a cave!” said Joe, grinning widely. “Lead on!” The whole group paused as they all heard the distinct rustling of leaves.  
“Um, that sounded bigger than a rabbit,” said Chet with a warning tone.   
Joe turned to him. “How can you tell?” A soft twang met their ears.   
“Hey, that sounded like a . . .”  
“Frank, get down!” Callie pulled him to the ground. Iola and Ellen screamed. Frank glanced up as Joe stared open-mouthed at a tree trunk. There was an arrow embedded in the trunk, vibrating, at the very spot where Frank had just been standing!


	6. Arrows and Paper

“Wait, Chet!” shouted Joe as the stout boy reached out for the arrow. He deftly plucked it from the tree.  
“If you're hoping to get prints off it, there wouldn't be any near the arrowhead,” said Chet matter-of-factly. He pointed to the feathery shaft. “They’d be back here, and that's if your archer wasn't wearing gloves.”   
Frank chuckled. “Chet is the foremost expert on arrows.” He got up and helped Callie up. “Thanks Cal, I owe you big time.”   
Callie chuckled nervously. “Take me out on a date that doesn't involve danger, and we'll call it good.”   
Iola chuckled. “With the Hardys, that's nearly impossible.”   
“Unless you catch them when they're not in the middle of a mystery,” said Ellen.   
“But they just started!” stammered Chet.   
“Yeah.” Joe turned to Frank and Callie. “Man, that was too close.”   
“Ssh!” said Chet. “You hear that?” Everyone strained their ears, just in time to hear a whizzing sound. “Hit the deck!” Everyone dropped to the ground. When they got back up, there was another arrow vibrating in the tree, but it looked like it wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. A note hung from this one.   
Joe jumped up and grabbed the note off the arrow. Frank stood up and read the note over his shoulder. The others got up as well.   
“What does it say?” asked Callie.   
Frank read it out loud. “‘Consider this your first warning. Stop the investigation, or else.’”   
“Or else an arrow’s going to be sticking out of you!” said Chet with a gulp.   
Frank took the paper from Joe. “But how did they even know we were investigating it? Like Chet said, we just started!”   
“What? Don't you know?” Everyone glanced at Ellen expectantly. She clicked her tongue. “For a couple of detectives, you don't pay much attention to the gossip in town.”   
Joe smacked his forehead. “And we’ve been going around, telling everyone about the counterfeits!”   
Chet winced. “And I let out that you were going to get my money back for sure. I may as well have run up to the crooks and told them myself!”   
Frank groaned. “Some detectives we are!”   
Callie patted his back. “Hey, come on, you guys are still learning.”   
Joe grinned sheepishly. “You know, she's right.”   
Frank huffed. “I know. Well, let's head home, I don't think there's anything more we can find out.” He didn't say the last two words that came to mind, 'just yet’. He wanted to come back later, without the crooks knowing the plan. They were going to have to follow their father's methods and stay extremely silent on the matter.   
As soon as everyone got into the car, the Queen was off. The ride back home was mostly quiet. The arrows were in the trunk with the picnic basket. Frank and Joe pondered about this new development in the case. So one of the crooks liked archery. Did Collig have any crooks on file who did? It was such an odd hobby among criminals, he would stand out for sure. But there was one thought that was running through the boys’ heads. If these guys were rather unique, why did they keep giving out clues that would just bring the Hardys to their front door? Were they desperate to get caught or something?   
As soon as they got home, the entire group said hello in passing to Gertrude and Jack, still in the living room where the boys had left them, and dashed up the stairs to the study.   
“So now what?” asked Ellen.   
“Well,” began Frank, “I think we should proceed with caution.” He pointed at Chet. “And no blabbing our plans to anyone else in public.” Joe quickly got their father's note out of sight while their attention was on Frank.   
Chet grinned sheepishly. “Right.”   
Joe sat down in the desk chair. “Well, we could start by seeing if the Chief has any intel.”   
Frank nodded as he picked up the phone. “And we should tell him about our, um, incident.” He dialed the number. “As a matter of fact, Joe, pull out our microscope please. Chet, Iola, could you help him look for fingerprints on the arrows and the note?”   
“Got it.” Chet and Iola rushed to help Joe. The three went to the little lab behind the boys’ room.   
“What should we do?” asked Callie.   
“Be ready to take messages.”   
“Well then, I’ll head over there if they need to send a message to you,” said Ellen.   
Frank smiled. “Thanks Ellen.” She took off after the three, leaving Frank and Callie in the study. Frank began twirling a pencil as the phone continued to ring. His forehead began to furrow the longer he had to wait.   
“It's still ringing?”   
Frank nodded as he hung up and dialed the number again. “There must be a few calls coming in, otherwise he would have picked up by now.” He tapped the pencil impatiently. “Come on Chief.” He had to hang up and dialed again after a while. Finally, someone picked up.  
“Chief Collig's office, Sarah speaking. How may I help you?”   
Frank blinked a couple of times. “Mrs. Thompson! It's Frank Hardy.”   
“Why Frank, long time no talk!” She chuckled softly. “Sorry, have to use that every now and then.”   
Frank chuckled. “That's fine. I've been trying to get through to the Chief. Is he busy?”   
“He’s in a meeting with the force, but he should be wrapping up any second now. I’ll go check.”   
“Thanks.” Frank’s eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. “Oh! The list!”   
Callie blinked. “What list?”   
“Chief Collig said he was going to fax us a list of the stores that got hit by the counterfeits. Could you get it for me, please?”   
“Sure!” Callie got him the paper from the fax machine.   
“Thanks.” He took a quick look over the list. “Yeah, really doesn’t look like there is much of a pattern, they just pick a spot and pass out counterfeits.”   
Callie looked at the list over his shoulder. “They’ve still hit a lot of shops and individual people.” She pulled out her phone. “Pollie got a job at the salon over the summer, I’d better warn to keep an eye out for any counterfeits.”   
“Good idea.”   
At that moment, a voice came on the line. “Hello, Frank?”   
“Chief?”   
“Yeah, sounds to me like you found something important. Well, at least something interesting happened on your little outing.”   
“Oh boy, it was certainly interesting.” Frank told him the entire incident.   
There was a pause on the line before Collig whistled. “They realize that you two are onto them, huh? Did you go check out that cave?”   
Frank shook his head. “No Chief, but I think we should head back over there soon to take a better look around. That cave does seem like it would be important.”   
Collig chuckled. “Nothing says you’re getting hot on a clue like a crook trying to kill you to keep away from it.”   
Frank chuckled nervously. “Yeah, that would certainly do it.”   
“And boy, sounds like these criminals aren’t too bright if they’re just practically leading you to their front door, which I’m betting is that cave. Speaking of, think you’d want a couple of my men to go in and clear them out for you?”   
“Now, already? We don’t have enough clues to even know who these men are! Which is one reason why I was calling you, we were wondering if you had any info on a guy who likes using a bow and arrow.”   
Collig scoffed. “Frank, Frank, Frank, you don’t have to know who these guys are in order to catch them. You just have to point us in the right direction and we’ll catch them and find out for you. Sure, knowing if they have a record is nice and all, but we’ll have time to find out after they’re behind bars. It’s best to get them behind bars before they can leave town or hurt anyone for real.”   
Frank huffed. “True, true, but if there is a record, you’ll have some idea of who you’re up against.”   
Collig chuckled. “Touche. I’ll have Sarah look into it and send over any info she finds to you. And I’ll send Reilly and Franklin out to the cave to look into that. I’ll call back once we’ve heard anything.”   
“OK, and . . .” Frank paused when the others came back into the room. Joe’s face was crestfallen.   
“Frank?”   
“Um, Joe just came back from checking for fingerprints.” Joe shook his head with a sigh, no luck. “They didn’t find anything.”   
“So, these criminals are smart enough not to leave their fingerprints behind but got scared when you got close to the cave and tried to keep you away from it.” There was a bit of silence on the line before Collig spoke again. “Certainly seems like they’re kinda new to the counterfeiting business but no newbie to a life of crime. You might be right and there’s a record on any guys with a bow and quiver. But don’t go back to the old mill until I’ve heard back from Reilly and Franklin, understood?”   
“Yes sir.”   
“Good, I’ll talk to you later.”   
“Bye Chief!” Frank hung up the phone.   
“What did the Chief have to say?” asked Joe.   
“He said he’ll have Mrs. Thompson look into the records and see if there is a guy, or guys, who uses a bow and arrows. And he’s sending Officers Reilly and Franklin to check out the cave. We’re not going back until we’ve heard back from them.”   
Joe let out a huff. “Go figure. That archer could be long gone by now!”   
Iola sighed. “Joe, we’re not exactly equipped to deal with an archer.”   
“Ugh, you’re right,” grumbled Joe as he crossed his arms. “But if they do catch the guy, I hope they let me get a punch in. No one uses my brother for archery practice!”   
“But, what do we do until then?” asked Ellen.   
Frank stood up. “You know what, I want to take a look at those arrows and that note more closely. Maybe there’s something besides fingerprints that could give us a clue.”   
Chet snapped his fingers. “Like where he got them!”   
Frank nodded. “Exactly.”   
Joe spoke as he led the way out of the room. “But what exactly are you hoping to find? Most stores would sell the same stock.”   
“True, but if we can narrow it down to the stores they could shop at, we’ll have someplace for the police to stake out to catch them, or a place to start out to follow them to find out where they’re going.”   
“True, true,” said Joe.  
“So, how would you narrow it down?” asked Iola as they entered the laboratory. Chet immediately went to examine one of the arrows. Frank took the paper and slid it under the microscope.   
“Well,” began Frank as he put his eye to the lens, “cases of paper would have different serial numbers.”   
“But they’re not going to be on the paper,” quipped Joe.   
“And I don’t think you’re going to find this arrow in any store,” said Chet. Frank and Joe rushed towards him and looked at the arrow.   
“What do you mean?” asked Joe.   
“Well, now that I’ve looked at more for craftsmanship than fingerprints, well, this looks practically homemade!” He pointed at the arrowhead and the shaft. “And it almost looks like an Native American style too!”   
“He’s Native American?” asked Joe incredulously.   
“But that’s not an indication that he could be,” said Iola. “Chet knows all this too!”   
“But we do have Native American ancestry,” said Chet, “and Dad didn’t want us to lose our connection to that. But Iola’s right, this doesn’t necessarily mean he’s Native American, he could just as easily have learned it as I did. He might prefer making his own arrows as they don’t quite make them the way he likes. And this is pretty good, so he’s been doing it for a while.”   
“So he just might have a record,” said Joe hopefully.   
“If he’s been a criminal for a while,” said Frank. “This could be his first job.” He turned to the girls. “Oh, could you three look up all the stores that sell paper? Maybe just by knowing where they are could help us narrow them down.”   
“Like which ones are closer to the old mill?” asked Callie as she pulled out her phone.   
Frank grinned. “Exactly. Now, let’s take a closer look at that paper and the writing.”   
“Alright,” said Joe. The room was silent for several minutes as the girls looked up the stores, Chet continued his examination of the arrows, and Frank and Joe continued to look through the microscope. Everyone jumped when Frank let out a whoop a minute later. They dashed over to where he was standing, a broad grin on his face as he moved to let Joe look.   
“What? What is it?” asked Iola.   
“A watermark!” exclaimed Frank, bouncing a little on his toes.   
Joe gasped. “Holy smokes, you’re right! It’s faint, but that’s a watermark alright!”   
“Let me see!” said Chet.   
“What kind of a watermark?” asked Iola as Joe stepped aside to let Chet see.   
“It’s a five-pointed star!” Joe said with a grin. He turned to Frank and shot him a proud smile. “Good job finding that!”   
Frank gave a slight bow. “Well thank you, thank you very much. A very fine job, if I do say so myself.”   
The girls laughed as Joe swatted at him playfully. “Yeah, yeah, you don’t have to rub it in.”   
“Well, we were focused on looking for fingerprints,” remarked Chet, “so we must have passed right over it.” He glanced up at Frank and grinned. “Nice catch though!”   
Frank grinned back. “Thanks!”   
“But how is that going to help us?” asked Ellen. “There might be several stores selling paper with that watermark!”   
“But there might be several stores that aren’t selling this paper,” said Frank as he picked it up. “And even if there are still quite a few stores that sell this paper, it could still narrow it down quite a bit.” He nodded at the girls. “What did you find out?”   
Callie scrolled through her phone. “Well, there are certainly a lot more office supply stores in town than I thought, about fifteen total.”   
Chet let out a low whistle. “I thought there were only seven!”   
“So did we!” said Iola. “But a lot of them are mom-and-pop shops and a few deal in specialty stationary.”   
“Hmm.” Frank glanced at the paper, rubbing it as he thought. His fingers paused a moment before rubbing it again. Why did this feel so familiar? Inspiration hit him and he quickly pulled out his wallet.   
“Uh, Frank, what are you doing?” asked Joe as everyone watched with curiosity as Frank took out a bill and slid it and the paper under the microscope.   
“Say, I think the counterfeits were made from this same paper!”   
“Really?” said Joe. Frank took a step back from the microscope so Joe could take a look. He gasped. “Why, you’re right! This paper looks almost exactly the same!”   
Frank nodded with a grim look on his face. “I think this is another reason why we need to find out where they’re buying paper from and let the company know what their paper is being used for.”   
The others nodded. “I think that’s a good idea,” said Iola. A knock startled the teens. Frank and Joe rushed to open the door. Gertrude and Jack were standing in the hall.   
Gertrude had her arms crossed. “Care to explain your outings?”   
Joe glanced at Frank and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, um . . .” The phone rang. Gertrude groaned as she went to answer it in the study.   
“Oh, that could be the chief!” said Frank, the group followed her in right as she picked up.   
“Hello? Uh, who is this? What do you want?” Her eyes widened as she gasped. “What did you just say?” Jack stepped forward and pushed the speaker button.   
“You heard me,” came a snarly voice on the line. “You’d better tell those snooping Hardys to stop playing with fire, or they’ll go up in smoke!”


	7. A Phone Call

Joe snatched the phone from his aunt. “Who is this? How did you get this number?” The line went dead.   
“But, which case was he referring to?” asked Jack as he took the phone from Joe and hung it up. “You two are on a case, and so are both of your parents.”   
Frank and Joe shot a worried glance at each other. “I bet it was Mom and Dad’s case,” said Frank worriedly. “We’ve already gotten our own warning.”   
“And since they can’t get a hold of either of their cell numbers, they had to call the house,” said Joe. He glanced at Jack. “They’re in real danger!”   
“I’ll contact your father and let him know about this,” said Jack. He placed his hands on his hips and eyed the boys. “But first, what’s this about getting your own warning?” The teens told him the entire story, interrupting each other from time to time with some slight correction or what they thought was a necessary addition.   
When they had finally finished their story, Trudy gasped. “They shot arrows at you?” She turned to Jack and grabbed his arm. “Please make them stay home and let the police handle this!”   
Jack patted her hand reassuringly. “You know they take after their father, and from the stories I’ve heard, their mother as well when she was their age.”  
Trduy threw up her hands. “Exactly! Do you know how many times those two and their little gang got close to dying, scaring me nearly half to death?”   
Jack held up a finger. “And, if these two are anything like their parents, they’ve got a whole bunch of luck rubbed off on them that should keep them safe until each mystery is solved.” He took both of her hands into his and looked deep into her eyes. “And you of all people should know that they have formed such deep friendships that their friends will always have their backs. Plus, Laura’s given them some of her brain power, they know how to think on their feet.”   
Ellen let out a squeal and clapped her hands. “Ooh, when’s the wedding?”   
Trudy threw up her hands again. “Oh for crying out loud!”   
Jack laughed. “It’s a work in progress. You’ll have to forgive her for waiting so long, their parents did kind of traumatise her with their mystery-solving back in the days.”   
“Traumatise? Traumatise? I was worried sick, to the point of nearly dying! Since Dad was gone a lot, I was in charge of Fenton’s well-being, and I have no idea how Mrs. Bolton was able to handle it! Mrs. Keen on the other hand practically encouraged it!”   
Jack reached out and pulled her into a hug. “But they came back, every time, right? And they will this time.”   
That’s when it hit Frank and Joe. She was equally as worried about their parents as she was about them! Joe went over to her and patted her back. “Don’t worry, Auntie, they’ll be back before you know it.”   
“I think the only thing that will throw Dad for a loop is having Mom there with him,” said Frank. “He’s been solving cases on his own for quite a while now that he’s not used to having her help.”   
Jack chuckled. “Oh, I highly doubt that would ever be a problem for your dad.”   
“See?” said Joe. “They’ll be just fine!”   
Jack gently eased her out of the hug. “As a matter of fact, I can still call him. Do you want me to do it now? Will that ease your anxiety?” She nodded and sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. Joe took over the hug while Jack pulled out his phone. He dialed the number and put it to his ear. “Hey Fenton! How’s progress on the case?” He began to smile widely before bursting out into a laugh. “OK, OK, I know, you just got there.” There was another pause as he grinned. “Yes, actually, there’s been a lot going on here, your boys seem to have had quite an adventure. Hang on Fenton, let me put you on speaker and they can tell you and Laura all about it.” Jack put his phone on speaker and for the third time that day, the teens told their story. They finished it up by telling them about the ominous phone call they had just gotten.   
Fenton gave a low whistle while Laura let out a gasp. “I . . . I . . . wow, that’s . . . first off, Callie darling, I can’t thank you enough for saving Frank’s life,” said Laura.   
Callie beamed. “You’re welcome!”   
“And I think you’re right,” said Fenton, “that call was for us.” He gave a low chuckle. “Apparently we each have just barely started on our mysteries and we’re already getting told to stop.” He paused and his voice became very stern. “These guys obviously mean business. Be very careful. Not only are you in danger because of your mystery, but also because of ours.” Frank and Joe glanced at each other, they couldn’t quite voice their concerns that the two mysteries were in fact connected, otherwise it would give away that their father was hired by Elekton.   
“Jack, Chet, Trudy, girls, we can count on you to keep an eye on them?”   
“Well considering Callie already made an awesome save, you bet!’ said Ellen enthusiastically.   
Laura let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you all so very much!”   
“I . . . I really think you guys should call it off,” said Trudy softly.   
“Trudy, this is my job, and if my family wants to get involved, well, it’s going to be on me if something happens to them. Besides, I trust that Frank and Joe will have each other’s backs, and their friends will be there for them as well. Things always look better when you’re surrounded by your friends and family.”   
“That’s right!” said Joe as he gave Trudy a squeeze. “Besides, they don’t know about our secret weapon, Aunt Trudy!”   
She blinked at him in surprise. “Say what? Me?”   
Joe grinned. “Yeah! If we all were captured, which is very unlikely, you’d come in, give those criminals a run for their money, and save us! You know, like Alfred does for Batman and Robin sometimes!”   
“Oh goodness, I don’t think I’d have it in me!”   
Frank dashed to her other side and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re a Hardy, Aunt Trudy, you definitely have it in you!”   
“Yeah! I mean, it’s why you like Jack so much . . . I mean . . .” Joe clamped a hand over his mouth.  
Fenton clicked his tongue. “Jack, Jack, what have I told you about getting overly romantic with my sister? I told you the fastest way to her heart was to quit working for me.”   
“And have him stop watching your back? Not in a thousand years!”   
Laura gasped. “What have you done to Trudy?”   
“Yeah Jack, what potion did you give her? And where have you been hiding that?”   
“Fenton!” said Laura and Trudy at the same time.   
“What? It seems to be working!”   
“Wait, so you knew that Aunt Trudy and Jack were a thing?” asked Joe incredulously.   
“You mean you just now figured it out?”   
“I . . . wha . . . we . . . we made a deal with Aunt Trudy not to tell you!”   
“Oh?” said Laura, clearly intrigued. “And what, exactly, did Trudy promise you if you kept your mouth shut?” Jack eyed the boys. Frank and Joe winced.   
“Well, I suggested she bake more cookies and pies for us to enjoy,” said Chet sheepishly. “I was in on the deal too. Oh, and Nancy knows too, but she didn’t have to make a deal since she doesn’t live here.”   
“Well, well, well, this has been quite the development,” said Fenton. “We have arrows, threatening notes and phone calls, and the ever looming question of will they or won’t they get married.” He let out a breath. “Sounds like you guys have been going at this non stop. I suggest a break . . .”   
“But!” began Joe.   
“No buts. It’s best to lay low for a while and let them think they got through to you, put them off their guard. You’ll have the element of surprise, which is always a good thing.”   
“He does have a point,” said Frank. “And after that close of a call, I definitely need a little rest.”   
Joe looked at him before sighing. “Oh, alright. We’ll take a break for, say, two days. Will that work?”   
“I think that’s good, just to recuperate from such an experience. Those counterfeiters aren’t going to leave too soon if Elekton’s still going to use the old mill as a guardhouse,” said Fenton knowingly. “And it will put them into a false sense of security, which is a pretty sure method of allowing them to continue at their own pace and eventually make a mistake when you take them by surprise.”   
“Alright, then that’s what we’ll do,” said Frank. “But what about you?”   
“Well, we already have our cover story,” said Fenton. “We’ll be on our honeymoon.” he chuckled. “And we’ll enjoy it for the next two days ourselves. Does that work for you too, Trudy?”   
Trudy seemed to sigh with relief. “Yes, Fenton, that will work.”   
“Good, then we’ll all take a break for two days, stay low, and let the criminals think their threats worked.”   
Trudy then did sigh with relief. “Thank you.”   
“You’re welcome. Keep us posted once you’ve found out anything more!”  
“And you two enjoy that honeymoon as much as possible,” said Jack with a chuckle.   
Fenton laughed. “We’ll try.”   
Laura scoffed. “Oh we can, and we will enjoy this, Fenton Hardy.” She let out a soft chuckle. “After all, what’s more fun than catching a few criminals?”   
“Well you definitely married the right woman,” mumbled Trudy.   
“Exactly why I married her.” There was the distinct sound of a kiss.   
Jack chuckled. “OK you two, get a room!”   
“But we are in our room!”   
“Then I’m going to end the call. Good night!”   
Fenton and Laura laughed. “Alright, smarty pants, good night.”   
“And, Frank, Joe, please be careful!” said Laura.   
“We will!” chorused the boys.   
“You be careful yourselves!” said Joe. “We’re not there to bail you out if you get in trouble!”   
Fenton chuckled. “Duly noted. Good night.”   
“Good night!” the others chorused. Jack hung up the phone.   
“Well, I’d say that’s a great way to end this whole entire adventure.” He glanced at the teens. “And you have all had a trying day.” He turned to Trudy. “Maybe we can feed them something for looking after your nephews so well?”   
Trudy glanced at each of them before her eyes lingered on Jack. “Oh, alright, you have a point. Call your folks first, you’re all invited to dinner!’   
Chet whooped. “Alright! And, um, may we get one of your pies?”   
Trudy laughed. “How about three!”   
Chet jumped with joy. “Yes!”   
Frank and Joe laughed. “Careful Aunt Trudy,” said Joe, “this just might turn into a nightly thing.”   
Trudy scoffed. “It’s already a weekly thing.”   
“Aw, you don't like it when I come over?” Chet said with a pout.   
Trudy rolled her eyes. “No, I don't like it when I don't have any new recipes for you to try when you come over.”   
Chet instantly brightened. “Oh! But I was just teasing, Miss Hardy.”   
Jack patted his back, laughing. “It was a good try, Chet, a very good try. But despite living here, the sarcasm still manages to go over her head.”  
Trudy humphed and crossed her arms. “Do you want me to fix you dinner, or what?”   
“Alright, Trudy, alright. Come on everyone, let's help her get dinner on the table, shall we?” The teens chorused in the positive and led the way down the stairs. The guests called their families to ask about staying, and got an affirmative from all of them. They helped set up for dinner, and they talked of other things than mystery, just having a grand time.


	8. A Wild Trip

Officers Reilly and Franklin called after supper to give them a report that they didn’t find anything in the cave, but did have the uneasy feeling of being watched, wondering if they were closer than they thought to finding something. The boys and Collig figured that since the boys had been there before the officers that the culprits were on high alert and would make sure everything was well hidden. Collig agreed with Fenton that going silent for two days, letting the counterfeiters think the message had scared them even a little, would give them the element of surprise.   
The next morning, the boys didn’t stay idle, they decided to look into the office supply store angle they had. Though they didn’t go out to visit any of the office supply stores, they worked on narrowing it down to a few. Plus, they were coming up with a plan to meet the teen who was seen with the green truck at Prito’s Supply Yard. But no matter how they looked at it, they figured that they had to either enlist Tony’s help or go back to the old mill themselves, which would have to wait until their two days were up. Frank decided to make the call.   
“Hey Tony, you got a minute?” He put it on speaker so Joe could hear.   
“A minute, yes,” said Tony on the line, “literally, so make it quick please.”   
“Oh, right, um, this might not work after all.”   
“What do you mean?”   
“Well, Joe and I are under orders to lay low for a couple of days and we were wondering if you could try to make contact with that boy in the green truck. But if you’re too busy . . .”   
“Well, today I am, but I have some time tomorrow, I can head over to the old mill and see if I can talk with the guy.”   
Frank smiled. “That would be great, Tony, thanks!”  
“No problem!”   
“Oh, and Tony?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Don’t try to beat him up or scare him off, OK? I don’t think he has any real part in it except just working at Elekton and was probably told by his boss to help pick up the supplies, and that was it.”  
“Aye aye, Captain, but if anyone says anything bad about you two, all bets go out the door.”   
Frank chuckled nervously. “Oh, alright, I guess.” Joe raised an eyebrow, but he was grinning from ear to ear, holding in his chuckles as best as he could. Frank shot him a look that said ‘don’t even think about it’. Joe waggled his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.   
“How about it, Joe?”   
“Huh?”   
“I don’t beat up anybody unless they say something bad about you and Frank?”   
“Well . . .”  
“Joe!”   
“What? I was just going to say it’s your own skin. You could very well be outnumbered.”   
“You have a point there . . . alright, alright, so no fighting whatsoever. I just complete my mission, which is to meet the guy and try to get him to meet you, right?”   
“That’s it,” said Frank.   
“Got it. I’ll report back tomorrow before dinner with my results.”   
“Thanks Tony!” said Frank.   
“You’re the best!” said Joe.   
“Hey, you’re the best, and any help I can give you to bring these counterfeiters down, the better.”   
“Great! We’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.”   
“Sounds good. Bye!”   
“Bye!” Frank hung up the phone, he and Joe glanced at each other, and heaved heavy sighs.   
“Two whole days of no investigating!” said Joe with a moan as he flopped on his bed.   
Frank huffed. “Well, look on the bright side, day one is almost over.”   
“But Tony’s going to get to do all the legwork tomorrow. And it’s not like we actually narrowed down that many of the office supply stores.”   
Frank shrugged. “Taking three stores off the list is at least something, fewer for us to worry about.”   
“But we still have ten!”   
“We can have the group check each one out in pairs.”   
Joe groaned and rolled his eyes. “That's not the point. I want to feel like we’ve gotten further in cracking this case, not sitting around and getting nothing done.”   
Frank sighed. “Joe, Mom and Dad are doing the exact same thing. Sometimes you just have to be still for a little while and let the criminals slip up on their own. There are going to be cases where you're just going to have to sit and wait until something happens before you can proceed any further.”   
“Oh man,” mumbled Joe, “those are going to kill me!”   
“Exactly why you need to practice patience now,” said Frank, “or else you could lose the case if you're not patient enough.”   
Joe sighed. “Touche, touche.”   
“So, let’s start now, practice being patient and learn how to wait during these slow periods, or when we have to be quiet.”   
Joe eyed him. “Does that mean we have to start practicing meditation or something?”   
Frank blinked before bursting out laughing. He grabbed a shirt off his bed and tossed it at Joe. “You jerk!”   
Joe grinned as he ducked. The shirt sailed over him. “Hey, how else do you expect me to keep my mind off the mystery?”   
“You can read a book or play a game, you idiot.”   
“Well I don’t wanna.” Frank lunged at him, and the two tumbled onto the floor, wrestling.   
“You don’t take that tone of voice with me, young man!”   
“Young man? Young man? I’m almost as old as you are, and you’re not even a man yet!” Joe wriggled his way out of Frank’s grip and tried to get the upper hand, but Frank managed to wrap his arm around Joe’s neck and proceeded to give him a hard noogie on the head. “Ow!”   
“Frank and Joe Hardy!” The boys paused in their rambunctious tussle and slowly glanced up at the doorway. Trudy glared down at them, hands on her hips. “You two stop this ruckus at once! My goodness, I’d almost be glad when you can start investigating again just to get you out of the house!”   
Joe shot her a mischievous grin. “You mean you like it when we investigate?”   
Trudy threw up her hands. “Ugh! How about this? You two can run into town and get some groceries.”   
“Why can’t you do it?” asked Frank slowly.   
“Because I need you two out of the house! First you’re all moping, and then you’re creating a ruckus! I can never win with you two!”   
Frank chuckled softly. “Yes ma’am.” He gave Joe one final noogie before letting him up and getting up himself. Joe pushed him back down before racing down the stairs.   
“Last one to the grocery store is a rotten egg!”   
“Hey, no fair! You got a head start!” shouted Frank as he dashed down the stairs.   
“Halt!” The boys paused at the commanding tone and turned slowly to look at their aunt. She huffed. “I haven’t even given you the grocery list or the money yet, you knuckleheads.” They grinned sheepishly at her as they waited for her to walk past them down the stairs and into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a list and a wad of bills. “And just get this, there’s no need to get anything else.” She wagged her finger and glared at each of them. “And I mean it, nothing else besides what’s on this list. If I find out you got anything else, I’ll make you wait one more day before getting back to investigating, understand?”   
“Yes ma’am,” chorused the boys before dashing out of the house. Joe let out a whoop as he jumped onto his motorbike.   
He quickly fastened on his helmet, saying, “See ya, ya rotten egg!”   
Frank laughed as he fastened his own helmet. “Nice try! You’re the rotten egg!” Both boys kicked their bikes into gear and took off for the grocery store. It was a tight race, ending in a tie at the store.   
“Ugh,” said Joe as he locked up his bike, “you just had to be competitive.”   
Frank grinned. “I’m your brother, it’s my job to give you a hard time.” His face then grew serious as he placed a firm hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Remember, no talking about the mystery, we have to give off the implication that they’ve scared us off,” he whispered.   
Joe nodded, also becoming more serious. “Right.” He thought for a moment. “But if someone does ask me about it?”   
Frank tilted his head to the side. “Well, I guess you can tell them the police are handling it now. I really don’t like the idea of lying to people.”   
“Just like with me learning patience, it’s something we’ve got to do for the job.”   
Frank chuckled. “Fair point. Come on, we’d better get those groceries before Aunt Trudy starts getting suspicious.”   
Joe grinned. “Though I am liable to get a little something, just to annoy her, or maybe as a celebration that everyone knows about her and Jack and we don’t have to keep this dumb secret anymore.”   
Frank laughed. “Yes, there is that.” He pulled out his wallet and counted his cash, not including the counterfeit and the twenty the bank manager had given them. “I think I have enough for a couple little treats for us.” He put a finger to his lips and winked. “But don’t tell Aunt Trudy.”   
Joe grinned and winked back. “Now that’s a secret I can keep without having to make a deal.”   
Frank laughed. “Then let’s hurry it up and get everything.”The two dashed into the grocery store and perused the aisles for their aunt’s list and their treats. As Joe suspected, as soon as they were checking out, the cashier asked them about the case. The two told her that the police were on it.  
Then inspiration hit Frank. “Yes, and they would like to keep things quiet about it too. See, they’re thinking they might be able to get the upper hand on these crooks if they had the element of surprise.”   
The cashier beamed and zipped her lips before giving him a thumbs up. “The secret’s safe with me.”   
Frank smiled. “Thanks.” They quickly checked out and left the store.   
“Why did you tell her that?” asked Joe as they divided up the groceries to put on their bike baskets.   
“I figured it just might give those crooks a harder time of finding out what’s going on,” said Frank. “Especially if they're listening to the gossip in town.”   
Joe nodded. “I get it, good thinking.”   
Frank grinned. “Thanks!” He quickly put on his helmet and climbed on his bike. “Now we'll have to wait to see if it works.”   
Joe nodded. “I'm already waiting to get back to investigating, might as well add that too.”   
Frank chuckled. “Yeah, might as well.” The two started up their engines and took off through the town.   
They had stopped at a red light when Frank felt his phone vibrating. Since the light had just turned red, Frank figured it was safe to check his phone. He pulled it out. It was from Joe. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being followed.” Frank snuck a glance at Joe, who was pretending to be doing something else on his phone before casually checking the rear view mirror. Frank’s eyes immediately went to the brown sedan. There were two men sitting in the front seat, both wearing caps down low, but he thought he could see a pair of intense green eyes beneath one cap. Frank texted back. “Let’s head to the Diner.” He pocketed his phone right as the light turned green. They sped on towards the next light, and the two took a left. Frank snuck a glance in his rearview mirror, the sedan was still behind them, trying to be oh so inconspicuous. It really wasn’t working in their favor as Frank noticed a few pedestrians glancing between them and the sedan worriedly. But Frank didn’t feel safe until he and Joe were pulling into a parking space at the Diner. The Diner was officially called the Swinging Soda and Shakes, a 50s-themed diner owned by Tyler Jones, their friend Pete Jones’s father. Frank and Joe quickly parked their bikes and walked into the Diner.   
“Hiya Frank, Joe! What brings you here?” asked Sally, Pete’s older sister. She worked part-time as a waitress at the Diner while she went to college.   
“Is there a brown sedan circling the parking lot?” whispered Frank.   
She glanced behind them. “Yeah, there is.” Her eyes widened as she looked at them. “Are they following you?”   
Joe nodded. “From the grocery store. We’d rather not have them follow us home.”   
“Right.” She smiled and handed them each a menu. “Then shall I seat you?”   
Frank grinned. “Thanks, Sal.” She led them to a side booth.   
Joe gasped. “Hey! What are you doing here?” In the booth next to them, five faces stared back. They were Pete Jones, Slim Robinson, Biff Hooper, Jerry Gilroy and Jack Dodd.  
Pete merely grinned sheepishly back. “It’s bad enough we can barely keep a secret from you as it is, so, we’re keeping our mouths shut on this.”   
“But what I want to know is what you’re doing here,” said Jack. “Chet told us that you two were laying low for a couple of days.”   
“Sh!” said Joe as he and Frank squeezed in the booth. “We are, but Aunt Trudy sent us out to get groceries.”   
“And now we’re being followed,” said Frank.   
“Followed?” whispered their friends.   
“By whom?” asked Biff as he crossed his large arms.  
“It’s got to be two of the guys we’re trying to catch,” said Frank. “One of them was described as having piercing green eyes, and one of the guys in the car following us definitely has piercing green eyes.”   
“What vehicle?”   
“Brown sedan,” said Joe.   
“I think it’s still circling the parking lot,” said Sally.  
“Let’s check, Sal,” said Pete as he shimmied out of the booth. The two walked to the bar, but only Pete came back. Sally went back to work. “Yup, still out there,” reported Pete, “not even trying to hide.”   
Joe grumbled. “So now what?”   
“Hey, you brought in your helmets,” said Slim, his eyes brightening.   
The Hardys glanced at their helmets. “Well yeah, we couldn’t exactly . . .” Joe paused as he glanced at Slim in surprise. “Wait, are you suggesting . . .?”   
“Pete and I could do it, we’re close to your size.”   
Frank’s forehead creased. “Are you sure it’s a good idea though? We wouldn’t be able to get the groceries out without them seeing us.”   
“Hey man, we brought two vehicles,” said Biff. “One could take the groceries to your aunt so they don’t go bad and the other can tail your crooks.”   
Frank began pulling off his jacket. “Let’s do this.”   
A couple of minutes later, four teens walked out of the Diner, two had helmets already on. All four went to the bikes and unloaded the groceries. The two with the helmets got on the bikes and revved them up while the other two went to a car and loaded the groceries in the back. The bikes and the car left about the same time, but the sedan followed the bikes. A second after they had left the parking lot, Frank, Joe, and Biff dashed out of the Diner and jumped into Biff’s car.   
“I can’t believe we’re going to give these guys a lesson in tailing someone,” said Joe as Biff pulled out of the lot.   
“Well they’re not going to see us, so it’s not going to be much of a lesson,” said Frank with a grin.   
“Just stay low,” said Biff. “Don’t need them looking back and seeing you two back there.” Frank and Joe grinned but kept their heads low.   
“Aye aye el capitan,” said Joe.   
“And using two different languages doesn’t work that well,” berated Biff, but he was grinning from ear to ear. They followed the sedan at a safe distance. If the crooks had any indication they were being followed, they weren’t showing it. They kept right on following the bikes.   
“You know, I just had a thought,” said Joe.   
“What?”   
“These guys might have records, but, what if they were just hired for this joint? The only reason why they would be messing up as badly as they are is if they’ve been forced to work together for someone else.”   
Frank nodded slowly. “That is a good point.” He glanced at Joe. “You know what this could mean, though, right?”   
Joe huffed. “Yeah, one of two options, they’re either working for the guy Dad’s trying to catch, or they’re working for someone who works with him. Either way, these cases are definitely connected.”   
“What’s your dad’s case about?”   
Joe tsked. “If you won’t tell us your secret, we are under no obligation to tell you ours.” Frank snorted.   
“Alright, alright, we can’t spill ours and you can’t spill yours, fair enough. Won’t ask again.”   
“Thank you.” Joe huffed. “Though I had hoped you would have. Man, you guys are really determined to make sure we don’t find out about this.”   
“Well yeah, that’s the fun part, being able to finally surprise you two.”   
Frank laughed. “Duly noted.”   
“Hey, Pete and Slim are pulling into Tower Mansion.” Frank and Joe peeked between the seats. They wished they could be a fly on the door when those crooks saw they had been following the wrong boys. Frank jumped when his phone buzzed.   
“Sh!’ said Joe.   
Frank pulled out his phone. “It’s Nancy!”   
“Oh now, she’s replied to your text? But now’s not a good time!” Joe went back to peeking through the seats out the front window.   
Frank quickly typed out a message. “Requesting radio silence right now, on another mystery. Tell you more later.” He hit send and went back to watching the sedan with Joe.   
“Frank, Biff, is that . . . that’s a crossbow!” A crossbow was poking out of the sedan’s passenger window, and was aimed at Pete and Slim!


	9. Another Warning

The three teens stared in shock as time almost seemed to stop. They didn’t quite know what to do. The sedan in front of them was slowing down to a crawl, probably to give the archer a better shot. Pete and Slim were still fiddling with the bikes, completely unaware of the danger they were in. Frank snapped out of the stupor first and began barking orders.   
“Biff, honk your horn! Get their attention! Hurry!!” Frank crawled into the front while Biff let out a series of honks as he sped up. Pete responded by turning towards them and taking off his helmet. He then saw the crossbow and rammed into Slim, sending them both sprawling to the ground. But the crossbow shot at the side of Tower Mansion, a note flying from the back. The sedan picked up speed, took a U-turn, and sped past Biff and the Hardys. The two men either didn’t bother to look, or didn’t notice the Hardys, or didn’t care at this point, because they just kept on going.   
“Biff, turn around!”   
“No!” shouted Frank. “We need to check on Pete and Slim!”   
“But,” began Joe.   
Frank looked at him. “We’re not supposed to be investigating, which means we can’t go after them.” His eyes seemed to grow sadder. “I know, I know, I want to go after them too, but we promised Mom, Dad, Aunt Trudy, and Chief Collig we wouldn’t.”   
Joe grumbled as he threw up his hands and sat back in his seat. “Of all the rotten times to be pretending to not investigate.”  
Biff glanced between the brothers. “So . . .”   
Frank sighed. “Let’s go check up on Pete and Slim.” Biff glanced at Joe. Joe sighed and nodded. Bif turned into Tower Mansion’s parking lot. Joe did agree with Frank, their friends were important, but what made them different was how they went about it. Frank would go check on them while Joe would go after the goons and beat them up. He let out a soft growl as Biff parked. Those guys better watch it, they shot at Frank and were just going to shoot at two of their friends. That made Joe real mad, and he aimed to get back at anyone who threatened his friends and family like that.   
“I get the first punch,” he muttered as they got out of the car.   
“Say what?” asked Frank.   
Joe just shook his head. “I’ll tell you later.” Frank just looked at him a moment before taking off towards Pete and Slim. By this time, Slim’s father Perry Robinson and his boss, Hurd Applegate, had come out to see what was going on.   
“Are you boys alright?” asked Perry.  
“What in tarnation is going on?” exclaimed Hurd. “You boys can't leave my property alone?” He marched angrily over to the arrow and plucked it out of the wall.   
“Oh no, Mr. Applegate!” said Slim, his eyes widening. “Frank and Joe could have looked for fingerprints!”   
Frank sighed. “We already have two of them at home, there’s none to be found.”   
Pete and Slim slowly turned their heads towards the Hardys. “What do you mean you’ve got two of them at home?” Pete asked as he crossed his arms.   
“Are you two solving another mystery?” asked Perry at the same time.   
“Yes,” said Joe, beaming.   
“Even though we’re supposed to be laying low right now,” said Frank, shooting Joe a warning glance.   
“Yeah, right, so, keep this between ourselves, please,” said Joe with a cheeky grin before shooting a glance at Frank. Frank rolled his eyes.   
“And they’re shooting arrows at you?” asked Hurd incredulously.   
“Do your parents know about this?” asked Perry, concern lining his face.   
The boys nodded. “That’s why we’re supposed to be laying low right now,” said Frank, “but we had no choice this time, those guys were following us and we didn’t want to lead them home. We’re sorry for putting Slim and Pete in danger.”  
“No Frank, it was my idea,” said Slim with a shake of his head. “I’ll take the blame.”   
“Technically you’re all in trouble,” said Perry with a cross of his arms. “But considering the circumstances, I’ll let you off. Just, next time, be more cautious and smart about it.”   
All of the boys nodded vigorously. “Yes sir!”   
Frank sighed. “And I think it’s time we head back home, Joe, Aunt Trudy will be really worried when Jerry and Jack show up with the groceries and not us.”   
Perry picked up a helmet and handed it to Frank. “I think that’s a good idea.” He turned to Biff, Pete, and Slim. “But you three go with them, to make sure nothing else happens.” He shot a grin at the Hardys. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to our best detectives.”   
Joe grinned. “Thanks Mr Robinson.”   
“And next time, don’t bring the trouble to Tower mansion!” shouted Hurd Applegate as the boys went to the vehicles.   
“Aw Mr. Applegate, what’s a genuine castle without a few arrows sticking out of it?” quipped Perry before walking back into the mansion.   
Hurd threw up his hands as the boys laughed. “You’re just as bad as these boys! How ever does your wife put up with you?” said Hurd as he stomped into the mansion after Perry.   
The boys took off for the Hardy residence, keeping a sharp eye out for the brown sedan. But they seemed to be left alone the rest of the way. Frank and Joe noticed the other vehicle parked in their driveway when they pulled in, and recognized the blue Volkswagen of Jack Wayne. They quickly parked their bikes in the garage and dashed into the house, followed by Biff, Pete, and Slim.   
Jack Dodd and Jerry were sitting on the sofa, but both jumped up when their friends entered. “You’re alright!” shouted Jack as the two rushed forward to welcome them home. Trudy came rushing out of the kitchen and nearly toppled them over with hugs, Jack coming into the room on her heels.   
She just as quickly pulled back from the hug and scolded them. “You promised us you wouldn’t do any detective work!”   
“Aunt Trudy, we kept that promise,” said Frank, perhaps a little forcefully. “But they were following us and we didn’t want to risk leading them home.”  
“He has a point, Trudy,” said Jack Wayne. “If you’re absolutely sure you’re being followed, you never go home.”   
“I know that,” snapped Trudy, “but a call would have been nice!”   
“Sorry Aunt Trudy,” mumbled the boys.   
“What’s done is done,” said Jack, “what I want to know is, what exactly happened?”   
The boys took turns telling the whole story, Frank ending it by pulling the note out of his back packet and everyone reading it for the first time.   
“We’re serious, stay away from the old mill, or else,” Joe read the note out loud. He let out a low growl. “They’ve shot at my brother and my friends, I’m not going to be staying away for long. I’m going to take these guys down.”   
Jack chuckled. “Looks like they’re going to find out the hard way not to mess with a Hardy and never ever threaten them or their loved ones.”   
Trudy scoffed. “It’s the fastest way to get themselves killed, that’s what.”   
Jack shrugged. “Hasn’t stopped Fenton, and if he can always catch the crook, so can these two. Runs in the family, after all.”   
Trudy rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “I can never win.”   
“Don’t worry, Miss Hardy, you can always count on us to keep them safe,” said Pete.   
Trudy sighed. “I guess that’s the most I can ask of you.” She eyed Frank and Joe. “But you still can’t go do any detecting tomorrow either.”   
Frank and Joe nodded. “We know,” said Frank, “and we won’t. We’re just going out tomorrow to meet up with Tony.” He glanced at their friends. “You are all invited as well. We’ll text you the details once we’ve figured out where we’re going.”   
Their friends grinned and gave them a thumbs up. “Sounds good!” they chorused.   
Trudy glanced at the clock and sighed. It was only three o’clock, but she figured it would be worth it. “Well, since you’re all here, how about you staying over for dinner?”   
The boys glanced at each other. “Really?”   
Trudy sighed. “Yes, you did make sure they got back home in one piece. I feel it’s the least I can do to thank you for that.”   
“Let me call my folks and ask them,” said Slim.   
“Yes, we all should,” said Pete as both pulled out their cell phones.   
Jack Dodd nodded. “Yes. Excuse us, Miss Hardy.” The five dispersed to different parts of the house to call their folks.   
Trudy turned to the boys. “And as for you too . . .” Frank and Joe looked at her, wondering what she was going to say. “Maybe you had better hurry it up and solve this mystery so you and your friends won’t be in any trouble.”   
The boys’s mouths dropped. “Really?” said Joe.   
Jack let out a soft chuckle. “You do realize they’ll just find another to take its place, right?”  
Trudy sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’ve kept referring to Fenton’s and Laura’s tendencies with mysteries and how these two apples didn’t fall far from the tree. I guess I need to just learn to live with it.”   
Jack rubbed her back. “You have been living with it for years, you just haven’t stopped complaining about it.”   
Trudy groaned. “Whatever.” Jack opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by five whoops as five pairs of feet came bounding back into the living room.   
“We can stay for dinner!” announced Jerry with a shout. That eventually meant they got roped into helping with the clean up afterwards, but they did talk about the particulars of Frank and Joe’s case, particularly the boy they were hoping to meet the next day.   
“Are you sure those jerks at the mill would even let him come and meet Tony?” asked Slim as he handed Joe a dish he had finished drying.   
Frank shrugged as he handed Pete a dish to rinse. “I don’t know, I hope so. I certainly know they wouldn’t have let him come if they knew we were coming.”   
Joe scoffed as he came back from picking up a dish. “Ain’t that the truth. These guys might not be the smartest, but I think they’re smart enough not to let that guy come talk to us without their presence.”   
“I just hope they don’t realize that Tony’s your friend,” said Pete, “or this could go south real quick.”  
Frank let out a breath. “Yeah, that’s the only other thing. But they haven’t seen Tony with us, just you guys.”   
“I do hope that works in your favor,” muttered Pete as he toko the last dish from Frank. The rest of the kitchen was cleaned in silence. But the Hardys were wondering if Tony would be able to meet the teen.  
The next morning, the boys were able to find things to do while they waited around for Tony’s call. Though, sometimes, it was more like Trudy found them things to do, mainly a lot of chores. The two jumped when Frank’s phone began ringing.   
“Got it!” shouted Joe as he snatched it up from the table. “Hello? Hiya Tony! What’s the news?” Frank stopped what he was doing and got closer. Joe put it on speaker phone so they could both hear.  
Tony let out a huff on the other side of the phone. “Well the kid’s name is Ken Blake and he would only agree to come if no one else came. He said he’s not supposed to talk to the Hardy boys.”   
Joe’s eyes widened. “He, he said that? Really?”   
Frank huffed. “Did you tell him we were going to be there too?”   
“Oh, hi Frank!” Tony scoffed. “Of course not! Well, to be honest, I almost did, and then I mentioned Phil. I’ve already called him and asked him to come along.”   
Joe closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh of relief. “Good catch.”  
Frank nodded. “Good, but he is going to meet up with you?”   
“Yup!”   
Joe pulled a fist towards himself excitedly and uttered, “Yes!”   
Frank chuckled. “Great! So, where are we meeting you guys?”   
“The Diner at five.”   
The two glanced at each other, blinking in surprise. It was just an odd coincidence, right?   
“So the Diner at five, huh?” said Frank. “Was that the best time for him?”  
“That seemed to be the only time available to him. Why, you can’t make it?”  
“No no, that’s fine, it’s just a little funny, we were just at the Diner yesterday.”   
Tony gasped. “And you didn’t invite me? How rude!”   
Frank chuckled nervously. “Tony, we went there because the guys from the mill were following us. We met up with Pete, Slim, Biff, Jack, and Jerry. And we’ve invited them along for the meeting too.”   
Tony let out a breath. “Dang, hope Ken doesn’t think we’re ganging up on him or something.”   
He nodded. “Yeah, maybe we can just have them come in a couple at a time and maybe you can introduce them to him. We do have quite a few friends and we do hang out at the Diner a lot because Pete’s dad owns it.”   
Tony chuckled. “Quite right. Well, I need to get going. Just wanted to call and let you know when and where the meeting was going to take place. Oh, and that Phil is coming along too.”   
“How did you meet Ken?” asked Joe.   
“Well, I went walking around the old mill and nearly ran into him. He told me he was on his break and asked if I was the guy Mike was telling him about. Well of course I was so I said yes, and we got to talking about working over the summer and whatnot. I did tell him I had a lot of friends, which was when he mentioned he had been told not to speak to the Hardy boys because they were a couple of low-down, rotten, trouble-makers . . . his words and I promise I didn’t hit him.”   
“Oh good,” said Frank with a sigh of relief.   
“Well how could I? I know those crooks at the old mill are the ones who fed that nonsense into his head. If I had met either one of those men I would have slugged them so hard they would be begging to see their mama!” Tony told them, adding a growl for emphasis.  
“Alright, alright, we get it Tony,” said Frank, “but we’re getting off topic. Is that all you talked about with Ken?”   
“Well . . . since you managed to pull off the old switcheroo with the crooks of your last mystery I . . . and oh man I really didn’t like this even though you did clear them . . . I told him about the Mason brothers and I asked if they could come along too.”   
There was a slight pause. “And?” Frank finally said.   
“He said that was fine, as long as it wasn’t the Hardys.” Tony let out a huff. “Man, you guys might as well go around masquerading as the Masons for the rest of your lives!”  
Joe chuckled nervously. “I’d rather not, thanks.”   
Tony laughed. “Fair enough. Well, I really have to go guys. I’ll see you later!”   
“Bye Tony! Thanks for everything!” said Frank.   
“You’re the best!” said Joe.   
“No, you’re the best!”   
“We’re all the best, I guess,” Frank said with a slight chuckle. “But if you need to go man, then go.”   
Tony laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m going! See you at five!”   
“Bye!” Frank quickly sent texts to Jerry, Jack, Pete, Slim, and Biff and told them where and when the meeting was to take place.   
“Well,” said Frank as he pocketed his phone, “I hope we get some info on our crooks at the mill from this Ken  
Both quickly finished as many chores as they could before they had to leave. Trudy seemed impressed with their Joe especially was glad to be out of the house and both couldn’t wait to get back into sleuthing.   
They pulled up to the Diner a couple of minutes before five. They saw that Biff, Jack Dodd, and Jerry had shown up. They saw the Hardys and waved to them before quickly going into the Diner. Frank and Joe waited a couple of minutes before following them in.   
Sally met them. “How are you today?”   
“Doing pretty good, thanks,’ said Frank. “We’re supposed to be meeting Tony and Phil . . .”   
“Oh right! They’re over there.” Sally pointed to a corner booth. “I’ll come by in a couple of minutes to get your orders.”   
“Thanks Sal,” they chorused before walking towards the booth. Tony and Phil were sitting on one side of the booth while the kid they assumed to be Ken Blake sat on the other side. Ken had sandy blond hair, brown eyes, and looked scrawny, almost gaunt, in fact. The boys wondered if he had had a good meal in the last few days. Both figured that they would make sure he got enough to eat today, regardless of if he could give them any information. Ken happened to glance over the diner and saw them approaching. His eyes widened and let out a shriek.   
“You, you’re the Hardys! Stay away from me!” Frank and Joe stopped dead in their tracks and glanced at Tony and Phil with wide eyes. How did he know? And how could he be so afraid of them?


	10. Alleviating Fears

The boys stared at him, stunned and completely unsure of what to say. This was a first for sure! But Ken Blake knew exactly what to say.   
He turned to Tony. “You lied to me! You told me it was the Masons!”   
“So you could tell your boss, or whoever got you scared of them, that it wasn’t them!” retorted Tony. He crossed his arms. “Speaking of, aren’t you overreacting? Especially if they’re a couple of troublemakers?”  
“Oh, easy for you to say! You’ve got all your friends ready to gang up on me!” Ken wrapped his arms around him. “I have no one.”   
Frank stepped closer to the table. “We’re not going to gang up on you,” he said softly. “You’re free to leave, in fact. You don’t have to stay.” He let out a sigh. “We just wanted to know what you know about what’s going on at that mill.”   
“I’m just an errand boy, I don’t know anything! I swear!”   
“What do you do for the errands?” asked Joe.   
“I just do whatever they tell me to do, mainly Mr. Markel, the guard.” He pursed his lips as his eyes began to widen. “I might have said too much.”   
Frank shook his head. “Unless telling us the name of a the guard, something we could have fond out by talking to him, was too much.”   
“I-I . . . just can’t do this . . . I’m not supposed to . . .”   
“Well, how about we just have a good time and you tell us about yourself?” suggested Frank as she sat down next to him. “I believe that you know nothing, and I’m sure you would go to the police if you saw something suspicious.”   
“That is,” said Joe, “unless your life is as top-secret as whatever the government has Elekton working on.” He paused, blinked and tilted his head at Ken. “But if it is, does that mean you’re alien, a science experiment, or something?” Phil just happened to be drinking some water, and he spat it out . . . on Joe. “Dude! These are my favorite pants! And why did you have to turn your head? Frank’s a prime target!”   
“Because my mom taught me to not spit on the people across from me, thank you very much,” said Phil.   
“Oh yeah, uh-huh, maybe she should have taught you how to swallow while laughing while she was at it.” Biff, Jerry, Pete, Slim, and Jack could be heard guffawing from the next booth. “Oh shut up!” Frank heardsoft snickering next to him. He turned his head and noticed with delight that Ken was laughing. He stopped when he noticed that Frank was looking at him.   
Frank merely smiled. “So, what do you say? Do you want to hang around and have a good time, or would you like to leave?”   
Ken glanced around at the group at their booth, everyone unable to stop smiling after laughing so hard. “Um, I, I don’t know . . .”   
“I know, we can tell you everything these two have done for us!” exclaimed Phil.   
“You call this thanks?” asked Joe, indicating his wet pants.   
Phil waved his hand. “Oh that’s on you, man, you shouldn’t have tried to make a lame joke.”   
“But you laughed at it!”   
“You took me off guard!”   
Biff’s head appeared around the corner. “It was pretty lame.”   
“Who asked you?” retorted Joe as he grabbed a couple of napkins and tried to pat his jeans dry.   
“Dude, it’s jeans, it’s going to dry,” siad Biff, completely unphased by Joe’s retort.   
“Yeah, sure, you sit in wet jeans and tell me you don’t want them to dry faster.”   
Frank chuckled. “Just sit down and let’s order some food. I’m hungry!” The others agreed. Frank turned to Ken. “So, what do you say? You want something to eat?”   
Ken let out a sigh. “I-I don’t know if I can pay . . .”   
“It’s on us,” said Frank. “Order whatever you want.”   
Ken’s eyes widened. “Are, are you sure?”   
Frank nodded. “I’m positive.”   
“B-but I don’t want to impose . . .”  
Frank waved his hand dismissively. “Nonsense! Tony did tell you that we were the Masons, we kind of owe you for that.”   
Joe snorted. “Keep talking like that, and you’ll end up talking like Aunt Trudy.”   
Frank glared at Joe. “Shut up.” He turned to Ken. “So, what do you say?”   
“Well, I am hungry . . .”   
“Well then, how does a hamburger sound?”   
Ken’s stomach rumbled and he grinned sheepishly. “A burger sounds great.”   
The guys laughed. “Alright then, let’s order!” said Frank. He waved over Sally and she took their orders. Before long, the boys were talking of anything besides the old mill. Ken began to warm up to the group and revealed that he was an orphan who lived with his uncle, Kurt Docker, who worked at Elekton alongside Markel. It was he who got Ken his job. He and his uncle lived in a boarding house run by a Mrs. Smith just further west of the old mill. Frank pressed gently for more information about Ken’s parents and Uncle Dock, as he called Kurt Docker. Ken, after a moment’s hesitation, revealed that his parents had died in a car accident when he was only twelve.   
Upon hearing of Ken’s parents, Frank and Joe thought immediately of Nancy. Their experience with talking to her to cheer her up proved invaluable as the others let them lead in comforting Ken while he mourned their deaths. It only lasted a few minutes, but between Frank’s soothing words of comfort and Joe’s wise-cracking, he was feeling better enough to talk a little more. After the funeral, he had been sent to an orphanage until his uncle could come, but he couldn’t manage to do that until last year. They had lived in New York for a few months until Uncle Dock got the job at Elekton and they moved to Bayport, whereupon Ken also got a job at Elekton. Ken’s reluctance and almost downright fear of talking to the Hardys came from Uncle Dock’s threats that he would lose his job if he revealed any information as Elekton made secrecy very important. The Hardys understood and promised not to press him any further for information he clearly didn’t have or couldn’t disclose. But when they all finally left the Diner, Frank and Joe thought they had made another friend, or at least, got past his concerns and fears.   
It was nine o’clock when they got back home. Aunt Gertrude scolded them, but when they revealed Ken’s backstory, she promptly forgave them and told them they could invite him over whenever they wanted. A few minutes later, everything was locked up and only two lights were still on in the house, the two bedrooms.   
“Hey, want to call Nancy?” asked Joe.   
Frank raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the clock. “It’s kind of late.”   
“We’re an hour ahead of her, if we keep it short and sweet, we’ll get to bed on time,” said Joe with a shrug. “She should have solved her mystery by now.” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “With a lot of thanks to you.”   
Frank rolled his eyes. “Will you quit it?”   
“Once we call Nance.”   
Frank groaned. “Fine.” But he couldn’t wait to hear her voice again, and he knew Joe knew it too. He picked up the Pal Phone as they called it and dialed her number. It rang a couple of times before a voice came on with a soft squeal.   
“I solved it!”   
The boys whooped. “Way to go, Nancy Drew!” said Joe.   
Nancy laughed. “And a great many thanks to you! The will was under an apple tree in the heart of Ariel park!”   
“The heart of the lion!” the boys said in unison.   
“Right!” She then told them about the rest of her adventures after she had hung up with Frank, ending with the fact that they had dug up the will earlier that day and that the real Topham family and Jane Willoughby were wonderful.   
“That’s good to hear!” said Frank after hearing that the Tophams opened their house to Emily, Jane, and the Turners. “Emily gets to be with great people and Judy gets to be surrounded by love and care.”   
“Though, that reminds me,” said Joe, shooting Frank a meaningful look. Frank sighed and nodded.   
“Reminds you of what?” asked Nancy.   
“Well, you see . . .” The boys took turns telling about their mystery, giving only a few hints to their father’s, and ended their narrative with Ken Blake’s story.   
“Oh, oh wow that’s . . . that’s so sad.”   
Frank nodded. “Yes, yes it was. Sorry Nance, but we couldn’t help but think of you. I mean, all the times we’ve communicated over the years kinda helped us in this moment with Ken’s grief as well.”   
“And I hope it will continue to help you as detectives,” said Nancy kind of softly. “You’re probably going to come across many such cases.” She let out a huff. “But since I just solved this mystery, I can’t help but wonder if Kurt Docker really is Ken’s uncle or if he is just an imposter since no one heard from Ken’s actual uncle.”   
“Yeah, I think that’s just you coming off your mystery,” quipped Joe.   
Nancy laughed. “Thanks for the confirmation, Joe.”  
Frank held up a finger. “But it is a possibility we should consider. It’s not of importance at the moment, but it is an angle to look into later.”   
“Have you guys been back to the mill at all?” asked Nancy.   
Both boys shook their heads, even though they knew she couldn’t see them. “No,” said Frank, “only those two officers we mentioned earlier, and they didn’t see anything.”  
“Hmm . . .” said Nancy. “It might be a good idea to go there at night, they might be less cautious and be more likely to slip up.”   
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Joe.   
“But we don’t even know if our ruse worked,” said Frank. “Though you could say we blew that out of the water when we talked to Ken. He’s definitely going to be telling his uncle all about it. I just hope he doesn’t get into trouble for it. He didn’t tell us anything, and we just ended up treating him to a good time. The guy looked like he needed it.”   
“And some friends,” said Joe. “He sounded so lonely. I think he didn’t want to leave because he was hoping we would become friends with him, which we did. I guess he could tell we weren’t bad guys.”   
“I’d say give him a little time. His Uncle Dock could try to reinforce the idea that he shouldn’t talk to you at all, which seems mighty suspicious to me, to be honest.”   
Joe laughed. “That detective’s mind of yours isn’t taking a break today, is it?”   
Nancy scoffed. “I had to wait three long days to dig up the will, Joseph Hardy, my detective’s mind has had a long enough of a break.” She let out a huff. “But now I’m waiting for a second mystery. You two are lucky, getting to work on your second one.”   
“Oh I’m sure your next one will be along before you know it,” said Frank.   
“Yeah, well, in the meantime, we’re planning a slumber party, might do it either Tuesday or Wednesday. We’ll see.”   
“Good luck with that,” said Frank. He glanced at the clock and let out a low whistle. “It’s getting late, so we need to go. But before we do, got any tips for us?”   
Nancy chuckled. “The Hardys asking for tips from me? You’re on your second mystery, you tell me the tips!”   
“But this is dealing with counterfeits!” said Joe.   
“Exactly! I haven’t dealt with them! So you tell me the tips!”   
Frank chuckled. “Alright, alright, you’ve made your point. But not in relation to counterfeits, just to solving a mystery in general, do you have any tips for that?”   
There was a slight pause. “Well,” said Nancy slowly, “don’t trust everything a complete stranger tells you. Be sure it can be verified. I mean, sure, not everyone’s out to lie to you, but being able to verify that information goes way better for you in the long run.”   
Joe chuckled nervously. “Yeah, no kidding.” He paused. “You’re still thinking Uncle Dock isn’t really Ken’s uncle?”   
Nancy laughed. “OK, yes, I am thinking that. And who knows, I could be wrong and I’m still thinking about this mystery.”   
“But it is a good thing to keep in mind.” Frank’s forehead furrowed. “As a matter of fact, maybe we should look into Ken’s background as well.”   
Joe scoffed. “I very highly doubt he has the same kind of inheritance that Emily has.”   
Frank chuckled slightly. “Oh no, definitely not. But if Uncle Dock really is an imposter, maybe we can find Ken’s real uncle.”   
Joe grinned. “Now that I don’t mind.”   
“Well, I’d better let you go and get some sleep. Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you.” She sighed and mumbled, “Lucky.”   
“Aw, don’t worry Nance, like Frank said earlier, your second mystery could be just around the corner. And I hope it’s a good one!”   
“Well thanks Joe,” said Nancy. “Oh, I really need to go, Togo looks like he needs to go out to do his business before bed.”   
Frank chuckled. “Alright, and we definitely need to go. We have to get up for church tomorrow.”   
Nancy chuckled. “There’s that too. Well, thanks for the updates, guys, and for all your help in my mystery! Good luck in yours!”   
“No problem!” the boys chorused. “And thanks!”   
“Good luck in finding your next one!” said Joe.   
“Thanks! Bye!”   
“Bye!” The boys hung up the phone and quickly got ready for bed. As they laid there, waiting for sleep to come, they thought of everything that had happened so far.   
“You know, the only clues we’ve had are the old mill and the arrows,” said Joe.   
Frank nodded. “Yeah, and it’s pretty obvious where it’s all happening. Or at least, the general area. There’s something going on in that cave, Joe, and we’ve got to find out what it is and why they’re so keen on keeping us away from it.”   
Joe scoffed. “You know why, the only reason why, that’s where the counterfeits are being made.”   
Frank nodded. “I know, I know, it’s the only explanation. But how are we to get into there without them finding out about it?” There was a slight pause. “Unless we go at night . . .”  
“Ooh, I like where this is going,” said Joe.   
Frank chuckled. “Of course you do. It’s something we’re going to have to do.”   
“Tomorrow night?”   
“I think so, the sooner we get out there the better. And we should get a few of the guys to come with us.”   
“That’s if anyone’s available for tomorrow night,” pointed out Joe. “Tony’s automatically out.”   
“Well, we’ll see. We’ll contact everyone after church tomorrow and see what they say. Speaking of, we’d better get to sleep if we want to be up in time.”   
Joe let out a yawn. “Yeah, and we’ll take a nap before we head out. I think tomorrow night might prove to be quite full of clues.”   
“Definitely.” The boys were asleep the next minute, both excited at the prospects of a nightly sleuthing. But Frank began to worry about Ken. If Uncle Dock was in fact his uncle, what would happen to him? And if he wasn’t but his real uncle still couldn’t be found, what then? Frank finally fell asleep, wondering if they had another mystery, one concerning Ken’s future.


	11. Nightly Excursion

“You’re doing what?” exclaimed Chet.   
Joe sighed. Chet was on his list of friends to call after church. Frank was in the study right now, on the phone with Phil. “You heard me,” he said. “We’re going to the old mill tonight to see if we can find any clues, and we’re just making sure we can get some back-up.”   
“I know, I know,” grumbled Chet, “I heard you the first time. Just wanted to be sure I heard you right.” There was a pause.   
“Well?”   
“I’m thinking about it, OK? This farm can’t exactly run by itself, knucklebrain, and Mom and Dad would ground me for life if I left all the work to Iola.”   
“Listen, we looked it up, Elekton closes its gates for the night around six. We figured we’d head out there around nine and look for clues until midnight. Does that work for you?”   
“Well . . . yeah, I guess so.”   
“Thanks Chet, you’re the best!”   
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Chet with a bit of smugness in his voice. Joe bit his lip to hold back a chuckle. “I do owe you for getting Queen back, after all.”   
“Well that’s good to know,” said Joe cheerily, but a bit of sarcasm was poking through in his voice.   
“Yeah, uh-huh.” There was a slight pause. “You’re absolutely sure nothing’s going to happen tonight? What if the counterfeiters are there?”   
“Well, that’s why we’re bringing back-up,” replied Joe. “We know there’s at least two of them, if it just ends up being, you, me, and Frank, we can take them.”   
“I’d rather just be the getaway driver,” mumbled Chet. “But if no one else goes, I’ll be there with you.”   
“Thanks man, we’ll pick you up around eight-thirty.”   
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you tonight.”   
“Great. Bye!”   
“Bye.”   
Joe huffed as he hung up the phone. He glanced at the next name on the list. One down, three more to go. He quickly called up each one, but Biff was the only other one who could make it on such short notice. Well, at least they had two guys as back-up. Joe left the boys’ room to go check up on Frank’s progress.   
Frank huffed when Joe approached their father’s desk. “Please tell me you got at least one person to come along.”   
Joe grinned. “I’ll do you one better, I got two. Chet and Biff.”   
Frank sighed with relief. “Oh thank God.”   
“Chet would rather be on getaway car duty and Biff wouldn’t mind going with us into the cave.”   
Frank chuckled. “Go figure.”   
“We should have figured that Jack might not have been able to make it for the same reasons as Tony, and Jerry had already made plans with his family, but why couldn’t the rest go?”   
Frank sighed. “Well, Slim and Pete had actually planned to go help their dads at work for a few days to get some cash for the summer, and Phil’s actually heading out of town tonight for a family emergency.”   
Joe gasped. “Oh no.”   
“Yeah, but he didn’t give me specifics. Guess we’ll find out when he gets back. But at least we have two of the gang along for the ride.”   
Joe nodded. “Yeah, told them we’d pick up Chet around eight-thirty and we’d pick up Biff around eight-forty-five.”   
Frank nodded. “Sounds good. Now, think we should pack first or take a nap first?”   
Joe thought for a brief moment. “Let’s pack now, we might notice anything we might have missed once we got up from our nap.”   
Frank grinned. “Good idea. Let’s go.” The boys dashed to their little lab and packed flashlights, extra batteries, magnifying glasses, their fingerprint kit, walkie talkies, just in case, a mini camera, a ball of string, and chalk. They quickly filled up their water bottles before hitting their beds for a three hour nap. Frank set the alarm for five o’clock, the boys wanting to get up before dinner to double check everything.   
At the sound of the alarm, the boys jumped out of bed and went over everything they had packed. When they were satisfied, and that everything was working just fine, they put the supplies in the back of the family car before heading into the kitchen to see if they could help their aunt fix dinner. They found her chatting away almost gaily with Jack Wayne.   
“Oh really, Jack, cut it out!” she said with a giggle. Her eyes widened when she saw the boys had entered and their mouths had dropped.   
Joe recovered first and crossed his arms. “Can we expect a wedding at the end of the month?”   
“I can’t work my magic that fast, boys,” quipped Jack. Gertrude whacked his shoulder. He rubbed it with a grin and a chuckle. “What? Everyone knows at this point and are just asking when.” He leaned in. “Even that’s something I want to know.”   
Trudy pushed him back. “Yeah, well, you might be the first to know.”   
“Oh that’s good to know.”   
“You mean it’s going to happen?” the boys chorused incredulously.   
Trudy rolled her eyes. “Let’s get supper on the table and get you two out of here.”   
Jack glanced between them. “Wait, where are you going?” The boys quickly laid out their plan while they fixed a simple dinner and informed Jack that Chet and Biff were coming along. Jack nodded with approval. “Good, that’s a solid plan. And since Biff is going to be with you, I suggest you grant Chet’s wishes and let him stay with the car. If anything should happen to you three, he can call us and Collig. We’ll be over there in a jiffy.”   
“Why don’t you go with them?”   
Jack shook his head. “Got a text from Fenton, he needs me and Sam to look into something for him here. He was going to call us here with more details.”  
Trudy threw up her hands. “Now you tell me about this.”   
“Don't worry about serving Sam, he’s going to be around at eight.” Jack then pointed at the boys. “And if you two don't get back here by one, I’m going to bring in the cavalry, got it?”   
They nodded. “Got it.”   
“Good. Mind if I double check what you're bringing with you after dinner?”   
“Yes, please!” chorused the boys.   
“Fantastic, at least I can report to your parents that you're going prepared.”   
“And you’ll tell us how they're doing with their mystery?” Joe asked hopefully.   
“Without giving any details?” Jack asked as he raised an eyebrow.   
Joe shrugged. “If you can't tell us the details, that's fine.”   
Jack nodded. “Then I’ll tell you what I can. But first, let’s eat.” The four ate quickly and mostly in silence, though Trudy and Jack chatted lightly about a few things in town. The boys barely heard it, they were excitedly going over their plan in their minds, thinking, hoping, they would blow the whole case wide open that night, and before their parents finished their case.   
Once they cleared the table and cleaned up the dishes, Frank and Joe went outside with Jack and showed him what they were bringing. He took everything out of the box and went over each thing carefully. When he finished, he closed the trunk and nodded with approval.   
“Looking good, boys, I’d say you’re all set.”   
Frank and Joe grinned. “Great!”   
“So, what are you two going to do until you leave?”   
The boys glanced at each other and shrugged. “We didn’t think there would be much time after dinner to do much,” said Joe with a shrug, “maybe read a book?”   
“We could confirm that Chet and Biff will still be able to go,” suggested Frank as they walked back into the house.   
Jack nodded. “Those both sound like great ideas. Well, you’re all set. Good luck to both of you. I’d better head up to your father’s study and get ready for Sam to arrive and your father to call. I’ll see you when you get back.”   
“Thanks Jack! See you!” The boys waved as Jack walked up the stairs. They checked in with Biff and Chet. Both said they would be ready, Biff in fact was going to meet them at Chet’s house, thinking it would make it easier since Chet was closer to the old mill. Once they got off the phone, they each grabbed a book and began to read. Or at least, they tried to. They were too excited about the prospects of what they hoped to be the wrap-up of this mystery. It had been a fairly easy one so far. The clues piled up like breadcrumbs, leading them to the old mill and the cave. And they figured that Markel, the night guard, and most likely Uncle Dock, were the counterfeiters. But they just needed that single piece of hard evidence to arrest the two men and they had to find out if there were any others involved. The boys went over the mystery in their heads again before heading out.   
Joe let out a huff as Frank pulled into the road. “You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize this has been a rather easy mystery. Almost too easy.”   
Frank knitted his brows together. “Yeah, but not quite easy enough for the answers to fall into our laps. We’re pretty sure where they’re making the counterfeits, but we haven’t been able to get close. I hope tonight’s different.”   
“Oh I think it will,” said Joe. “I just hope we get something concrete too. We’ve only had the arrows and the paper. We can’t look into the arrows, and we’re having to wait until the stories open tomorrow to finally look into the paper.”   
“But we might not need to worry about that if we round up the whole gang pretty quickly.”   
Joe’s eyebrows now furrowed. “And if we find a clue for Dad’s case?”   
Frank grinned. “Then we’ll have beat him to it.”   
Joe grinned. “I do like the sound of that.” The rest of the trip was made in silence, each boy thinking more about the mystery.   
When they pulled into the Morton farm, Biff and Chet were waiting for them. The two chums quickly slid into the car before Frank backed out and was off again.   
“So, what’s the plan?” asked Chet.  
“Well, Jack thinks someone should stay with the car and keep in touch with him and Chief Collig, so that will be your job,” said Frank.   
Chet fist-pumped the air. “Yes!”   
“Biff, you’ll be with us. We have walkie talkies in case we don’t have cell phone coverage and chalk and string if we need to split up,” said Joe.   
Biff nodded. “Sounds good.”   
“Chet, if we’re not back at the car fifteen minutes after twelve, call Jack and Chief Collig,” said Frank.   
“But what if something should happen to me?” asked Chet.   
“Jack will call the Chief and they’ll come looking for us if we don’t get back by one,” explained Joe.   
Chet let out a breath of relief. “Well, that’s good.”   
“But that also means you’re going to have to be look-out as well,” said Frank. “If you see anyone coming around, which we hope won’t happen, you call us and let us know.”   
Chet saluted him “Aye aye, Captain.”   
A few minutes later, Frank pulled the car into a hiding place near the mill.   
Joe let out an excited breath. “Ooh, I can’t wait. This is going to be fun!”   
Chet scoffed. “Let’s hope that’s all it is.”   
“I second that,” mumbled Frank, recalling all too vividly how close that arrow came to hitting him. The four got out of the car and opened the trunk. Frank gave Chet the keys, a walkie talkie, and a flashlight, in case he needed it. The other three split up the rest of the supplies.   
“So, if I don’t see you fifteen minutes after midnight, call Mr. Wayne and Chief Collig, right?” whispered Chet.  
Frank nodded. “Yes. You can come see if you can help us, but it would be best to wait for them.”   
And if you need me to contact them before then?”   
“I’ll flash my flashlight three times to let you know to call them immediately, twice if we’re on our way and just running a little late.”   
“Got it,” said Chet before getting into the car and locking himself in. The others just finished up splitting up the supplies and closed the trunk. With Frank in the lead and Biff in the back, the three tiptoed single file towards the cave. Frank hadn’t wanted to turn on his flashlight at first, but he eventually had to, just so he could see what he was going. Biff and Joe kept their lights off and followed Frank’s lead. They made it to the cave without any mishaps.   
“Alright, time for some spelunking,” said Joe.   
Frank rolled his eyes. “Yeah, uh-huh.”   
Joe grinned. “What? If Batman can say it, so can I.”   
Biff groaned then chuckled. “Well Superman says let’s get a move on, we don’t have all night.”   
“Well, Batman agrees with Superman, so let’s go,” said Frank before walking into the cave.   
Joe paused a moment and quipped, “Well, I’m not Robin anymore, I’m Nightwing,” before following him in. Biff chuckled and shook his head before following him in. Their flashlights played off the walls of the cave as they walked further in. They finally came to a fork in the tunnel. Frank flashed his light down both paths.   
“Hmm, I don’t think we should split up, but we should explore at least one.”   
Biff pointed down the left tunnel. “I think we should head that way, it should be heading towards the mill.” He pointed at the right tunnel. “That one might take us to the sea.”   
Joe flashed his light down the right tunnel. “Huh, wonder if they have a boat?”   
“That would be something interesting to look into, and we should let Chief Collig know, but our evidence is probably down that direction,” Frank said, pointing his light down the left tunnel. “So we’ll head that way first. If we have enough time, we’ll look into the other tunnel.”   
Biff and Joe nodded. “OK.” They walked into the tunnel.   
“Hmm, that’s odd,” muttered Biff.   
“What?” asked Joe.   
Biff shone his light all around the tunnel. “I don’t see any stalagmites or stalactites, but I do see some places where they used to be.”   
Frank gasped. “They must have cut them down to make this an escape route for them from the mill!”   
Joe grinned. “We’re on the right track!”   
Frank turned to them. “In which case there might be a boat at the end of the other tunnel.” His brow furrowed. “But something doesn’t seem right.”   
Joe paused, the grin disappearing. “They have this rather well-thought out plan, but they’re making it easy for us to find things.” His eyes then widened. “Unless this is really connected to Dad’s case and they’re using the counterfeits as bait to catch us!”  
Frank gritted his teeth. “If so, this is more about Dad’s case than anything. We might have to make them tell us what’s going on at Elekton.”   
“Wait, you don’t know what your dad’s case is all about?” asked Biff.   
The boys shook their heads. “Only that he was hired by Elekton.” Frank winced. “And we weren’t supposed to tell anyone that either.”   
Biff waved his hand. “It’s OK, your secret’s safe with me.”   
“Good, because we’d have to kidnap you and hold you until this was all over,” said Joe with a cheeky grin.   
Biff scoffed. “Yeah, good luck with that.”   
Frank, meanwhile, had been thinking hard. Should they continue if this was all just a ruse to capture the Hardy boys to scare Fenton Hardy off his case? But if they could find something, they could send Chief Collig over immediately and have the police round up the gang. He let out a huff. “Come on, let’s see where this tunnel ends and then get out of here.”   
Joe nodded. “I second that.” They continued for a while longer, until they hit a dead end.   
“Uh, now what?” asked Biff.   
“There’s got to be a secret door from here into the mill somewhere,” said Frank, his light slowly going over every inch of the cave.   
Joe on the other hand was looking on the floor, and saw something. “Yeah, there’s gotta be a secret door here.” He bent over and picked it up. It was a piece of paper. “This wouldn’t have been on the floor otherwise.” Frank and Biff crowded around him to read the paper.   
“‘Hardys getting too close, need to act soon. Will be there for six o’clock, next message will have the date. Be ready.’” Frank read out loud.   
Joe hissed. “Of course we don’t get the note with the date on it.”   
“Whoever sent this might not have sent it yet,” muttered Frank before glancing around. “But whoever dropped this might be back soon to get it, so I think we should get out of here now.”   
“You don’t want to look for that secret door?” asked Biff as the trio turned around and began going back.   
“It’s not visible from this side, as far as I could tell,” said Frank. “And who knows, it might be that it could only be opened by the other side.”   
Joe nodded. “That would make sense. People could come exploring and they wouldn’t want their secret door that visible to the naked eye.”   
“So then why would they shoot at you to prevent you from coming in here?” asked Biff.   
Joe shrugged. “Guess they think we would find it for sure because we’d be looking for it.”   
“But we’re not staying long to find it now,” said Frank as he quickened his pace. “We now have a new angle to look at in this mystery, and we’re going to have to be very cautious.”   
Joe puffed up his cheeks and let it out. “No kidding.” The boys fell into an uneasy silence on their way back, every sense on high alert. They seemed to breathe with relief upon exiting the cave, but continued their alert scan of the surrounding area. Frank whispered a halt.   
“I want to text Chet about this, have him ready with the car.” Frank pulled his phone out, the device showing that the time showed to be only eleven o’clock. “And maybe I can catch Dad through Jack. He needs to know about this. Joe, take out the paper real quick.”   
Joe quickly took it out, and Frank snapped a quick picture and sent it to Jack Wayne. Joe took a quick glance around as he returned the paper to his pocket. His eyes widened. “Wait, where’s Biff?”   
Frank’s head snapped up in alarm. “I hope he didn’t go check some noise he heard alone.”   
“That’s most likely what he did,” said Joe, a little panic coming into his voice. “Frank, if you were right and that guy came back . . .”   
Frank threw all caution to the wind. Biff could be in trouble, and it would be his fault. He realized he could have waited until they got to the car and then sent the message. But it was too late now, and he hoped Biff wasn’t about to pay for his mistake. “Biff! Biff!” The two took off through the trees.   
“Biff!” cried out Joe, his heart lumping in his throat. He shouldn’t have gone far, so why wasn’t he answering? Joe stepped through some brush and he found out why. He saw Biff’s unconscious form lying in the brush, right before he was hit from behind and he blacked out.


	12. Paper Trail

Joe spluttered and coughed as he finally came to. Another splash of water hit his face. He coughed again as he slowly peeled his eyes open. “I’m up! I’m up! Don’t drown me!”   
He heard a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God you’re alright!” Joe’s eyes became adjusted to the darkness and saw Chet’s worried face ease a little with relief. Joe glanced around, they were on the bank of the river not far from the cave. Frank and Biff were lying nearby, still unconscious. Everything came back to Joe in a flash and he reached for the back of his head. A large lump was beginning to form where he had been hit from behind. “Are you alright?”   
“Well, for having been hit hard enough on the back of my head to knock me out and nearly getting drowned to wake me up, I seem to be doing fine,” muttered Joe.   
Chet sighed with relief. “Oh thank goodness.” He put a phone to his ear. “Joe’s come around! Frank and Biff are still unresponsive.”   
Joe’s eyes widened. “What? But, but Biff was knocked out first!” He tried to stand up, but Chet pushed him back down.   
“No, you might have had a mild concussion,” said Chet firmly. “Besides, you need to rest, I can’t carry all of you back to the car.” Joe wanted to help, but he realized the wisdom in his friend’s words and merely nodded. But he propped himself up on his elbow to watch Chet tend to his brother and Biff, the phone was still pressed to his ear. “I’m going to try waking up Biff and Frank again. Give me a second.” Chet put the phone down and began taking handfuls of water and splashing them on Frank’s and Biff’s faces. Joe let out a whoop as hot tears spilled out of his eyes when Biff came to first.   
Biff slowly sat up and his hand went to his head. “Ow, my head.”   
Chet picked up the phone. “Biff’s up! But the first thing he complained about was his head, Joe didn’t do that. He was complaining about the water in his face.” Chet listened to the person on the other line, Joe figured it was Jack Wayne, and nodded. “Right, now only Frank is left.” Chet put the phone down again and filled his hands with water again and threw them on Frank’s face. He was unresponsive.   
Joe knew he needed to be still, but concern for his brother made him crawl towards him and tried to shake him while Chet went to get more water. “Come on Frank, wake up. Please wake up!” Chet came back and splashed the water on his face. They waited a few moments anxiously, but he still didn’t come around. Joe was practically sobbing at this point now. “Frank, come on!” Chet went back for more water. Biff placed a reassuring hand on Joe’s shoulder.   
“He’ll come around, give him a moment,” said Biff softly, but the look on his face showed that he was worried too. Chet came back and splashed water on Frank’s face again. This time, Frank began to sit up, coughing and sputtering. His sudden movement startled the other three, but then Joe let out a loud whoop.   
Chet gave a cry of joy before putting the phone back to his ear. “Frank’s come to as well! We’ll wait a few minutes before we head out. We should be at the Hardy’s house in about a half hour.” He nodded. “OK, thanks, bye!” He hung up his phone.   
Meanwhile Joe hugged Frank. “You’re alright! Don’t scare me like that!”   
But Frank seemed to ignore him as he glanced around questioningly. “Wh-what happened? Wh-where are we?” His eyes then widened. “Joe, the clue!”   
Joe felt in his pockets. The paper was gone. “Augh! There were fingerprints on there, weren’t there?”   
Frank sighed. “That, or he needed the paper too.” He slowly stood up. “But at least I have a picture of it.” Chet gently pushed him back down.   
“You can grab your phone out without standing up,” he said firmly. “Mr. Wayne suggests you all take a few moments to rest before we head to the car.” He pointed to himself. “And I’m driving, so don’t even bother arguing with me.”   
Frank smiled ruefully. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” But he reached into his pocket and paled. “Chet, where is my phone?”   
“Are you sure it’s not in another pocket?” asked Chet.   
Frank checked all his pockets, his eyes widening when he came up empty. “It’s, it’s not here! Where is it?”   
“Hang on, I’ll be right back,” said Chet.   
“Chet, wait!” called out Joe, but Chet was already dashing away.   
Biff groaned and rubbed his temples. “Guys, I’m not feeling so hot.”   
Joe glanced at him in worry. “How come I’m feeling fine and you’re not?”   
“Our assailant must have hit him harder than he hit us,” whispered Frank hoarsely.   
Joe got up. “We should get you to a hospital.”   
“Joe! You’re not supposed to be standing either!” said Frank.   
“Biff’s hurt, and we don’t know how badly,” said Joe, trying to keep himself from crying again.   
Frank sighed. “I know, and it’s all my fault.”   
“What? No it isn’t,” mumbled Biff.   
“Yes, it is, if I hadn’t stopped to take the picture, that guy wouldn’t have been able to take us by surprise. And you got hit the hardest because you’re the biggest.”   
“Hey, you wanted to get that message to Mr. Wayne as soon as possible,” said Biff. “It’s OK, besides, we didn’t know that guy was back.” He then crossed his arms. “Besides, what’s done is done, no use trying to blame anyone for it.”   
Frank sighed. “Oh, alright.” He glanced into the darkness. “I just hope nothing happens to Chet.”   
“Hey, if he had enough time to drag all three of us to the riverbank without anything happening to him, I think he’ll be alright,” said Biff. He glanced at the boys. “But what would this mean for your little theory about this being a trap for you?”   
Frank drummed his fingers on his chin. “Well, it’s still a possibility, but it might just be a back-up plan too. They might just try to shake Dad off the case first before using us as leverage.”   
“That is,” pointed out Joe, “if that is even part of their plan.”   
Frank nodded slowly. “Yes, there are still too many questions regarding this.” He let out a huff. “And we lost what was possibly our best clue too so far.”   
Joe sighed. “But we can at least tell the Chief that something is definitely going on at the mill, and there’s a secret door connecting the mill to the cave.” He paused and glanced at Biff before looking at Frank. “Does this mean another break?”   
Frank shrugged. “Perhaps we’ll need to take it easy, which checking out paper stores should be.”   
Joe snapped his fingers. “You know what, that paper felt just like a counterfeit!”   
Frank smiled. “Well, looks like we’re on the right trail, at least.” Joe opened his mouth, but closed it when they heard the huffing and puffing of Chet. The next moment, he came into view and paused to catch his breath.   
“I, I found your phone,” he began between panting breaths. “But . . .”   
Joe’s eyes widened. “Oh no, what happened to it?”   
Chet sighed as he dropped what remained of Frank’s phone into his hands. “Sorry man.”   
Joe gasped as Frank looked over the mangled remains of his cell phone. “Wh-what? Why?”   
“It wasn’t just that there might have been fingerprints,” whispered Frank, “he didn’t want us to keep that message.”   
“But you sent it to Jack, right?” Frank nodded.   
“Uh, guys? My ears are starting to ring,” said Biff.   
Joe jumped up. “OK, we really need to get you to a hospital.”   
Chet nodded. “I think you’ve rested enough. Come on, let’s head back.” The four meandered through the trees back to the car, Frank and Joe letting Biff lean on them. Chet rushed ahead to unlock the car and open the back door so Biff could get in. Joe got in next to him and Frank got shotgun while Chet slid into the driver’s seat. The way back was quiet and Joe made sure Biff was comfortable. Frank turned to glance at them to make sure Biif wasn’t getting worse every now and then, but for the most part, he kept staring ahead.   
When they pulled into the Hardy driveway, paramedics were already there along with Biff’s family. The paramedics checked out each of the boys. Frank and Joe were told that they needed to rest for most of the next day, Chet was completely fine, but they wanted to run some tests on Biff to make absolutely sure he was fine. His parents followed the ambulance in their car. Chet went inside to call his parents to let them know he was alright and got permission to stay the night.   
Frank and Joe, on the other hand, were feeling miserable and guilty. Trudy began fussign at them and over them the moment the ambulance left. Jack stepped in to settle the situation. “Trudy, Trudy, calm down. Can’t you tell Frank and Joe feel bad already about Biff getting hurt?” He indicated their long faces.   
Trudy huffed. “They knew the dangers!”   
“You’re right, they did, and they went prepared. But you can be thoroughly prepared and still be taken by surprise.” He glanced at the mess of a phone that Frank set on the coffee table. He huffed. “Though I guess you can thank that guy for one thing. It was high time you got a new phone, Frank.” Frank’s lips twitched into a slight smile before they fell again. “Now, I think everyone should get to bed.” Jack turned to Chet. “And thank you for staying the night, these two need your watchful care tonight.” he pointed at Frank and Joe. “You heard the paramedics, you have to take it easy tomorrow.”   
“Could, could we check out the paper stores tomorrow?” asked Joe meekly.   
Jack thought a bit before giving a slight nod. “I think that’s reasonable.” He turned to Chet. “Could you go with them to make sure they don’t do anything rash?”   
Chet saluted him. “You can count on me, sir!”   
“Thank you,” said Jack with a sigh of relief. He looked at all four of them. “Now everyone get to bed. I’ll be back in the morning to check on you, alright? And I’ll stop by the hospital to check in on Biff before I come over.” They all nodded before walking up the stairs. Trudy stayed back for a moment.   
“Are you sure about this?”   
Jack placed his hands on her shoulders. “Trudy, Fenton’s your brother. He’s been doing this with Laura, Catherine, Dennis, and Irene since they were their ages. I know I wasn’t there, but Fenton’s told me all about their adventures. And I know you saw them work their way through to the very end. Those two aren’t going to be any different. I will check up on Biff before I come over, but I think he’ll pull through, and I think everything will be alright.”   
Trudy sighed. “I know, but that doesn’t stop the worry.”   
“No, it never will. I’d be worried if you didn’t worry. It’s how you show that you care.” He kissed her hand. “I know.”   
She rolled her eyes. “Enough already. Didn’t Fenton give you an assignment?”   
Jack grinned. “He did, so I’ll be going. See you tomorrow.” He walked out the door and Trudy locked up after he left before turning off all the lights and going to bed herself.   
The next morning, the three teens slept in until after nine. Trudy had no problem with them staying in bed for a little longer. It gave her a peace of mind knowing they were safe and sound in bed. But then Jack pulled up, and the boys were rushing down the stairs pell-mell to find out about Biff’s condition. Jack came with good news, Biff would be alright, but they figured on keeping him at the hospital another day so his siblings wouldn’t pester him.   
The boys sighed with relief. “I’m glad he’s going to be alright,” said Joe as Frank sank into the sofa with relief flooding his face.   
Jack nodded. “You and me both. Do you two have very many stores to look into?”   
Frank shook his head and Joe shrugged. “There’s ten to look into,” said Frank.   
“Oh, that’s not too too bad,” said Jack. “Maybe you’ll find the right one rather quick. I hope so, I’ve gotta meet up with Sam at four.”   
The boys glanced at each other. “Uh, OK,” said Joe.   
Jack grinned. “I’m going with you three.”   
Chet and Trudy sighed with relief. “Oh good.”   
“But seeing as how it looks like you just got up, we should get some food into your system.” The five fixed and ate a nice-sized brunch before the boys dashed into the room and dressed. They went out to the office supplies stores in Jack’s Volkswagen. The first five they went to had never even seen the paper they were looking for before. But when they got to the sixth one, they answered in the positive. Joe had brought along the least threatening of the two notes to show to the employees.   
“Oh yes, we do sell that here,” said the lady at the cash register. “It’s not a commonly sold stock, but we’ve sold quite a bit of it in the last couple of months.”   
“Oh, who bought it?” asked Frank.   
“Oh that I couldn’t tell you,” she replied, “at least not the individual person who bought it. We sell mainly to companies, and I don’t check out everyone.”   
“Did you happen to check out this paper to a company?” asked Jack.   
She thought for a moment. “I think I did once. Yeah, yeah, I did, to Elekton.”  
“Would you be able to describe the man you sold this paper to, or be abel to pick him out of a line-up?” asked Jack.   
She thought a moment more. “Well, I might be able to pick him out of a line-up, but I can’t quite describe him.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”   
Jack smiled. “That’s fine. You have been a wonderful help. Thank you for your time.”   
The four walked back to the Volkswagen. “So,” began Jack, “we’ve found the store that sold paper to Elekton.”   
“But are they actually selling it to Elekton, or are Markel and Docker using the Elekton account to cover their tracks?” asked Frank.   
“Now that’s a good question,” said Jack. “Because not only are they passing out counterfeits, they’re using company funds.”   
“Hey guys?” said Chet. The others looked at him.   
“What?” said Frank.   
“Take a look at that guy.” Chet pointed at a guy walking across the street with a baseball cap. “I saw a quick glimpse of him, but I’m pretty sure that’s the guy who handed us that counterfeit!”   
Joe gasped. “I think you’re right!”   
“Let’s watch him for a bit, see what he does,” suggested Jack. The guy didn’t seem to notice the four pairs of eyes watching him cross the street and enter into the very store they walked out of.   
The next minute Frank gasped. “Why, that’s Ken Blake!” Everyone’s heads swiveled and they saw Ken bike towards the store. He had a big manila envelope tucked under his arm. He parked his bike and went into the store. A minute later, he came back out, got back on his bike, and took off, not noticing that the Hardys and Chet were watching him. Not long after he left, the guy came back out, with the manila envelope tucked under his arm. He turned and walked down the street, away from the Volkswagen, before disappearing around a corner.   
“Uh, guys,” said Joe, “I think we just witnessed Ken passing the counterfeits to the guy who hands them out!”


	13. Snagging A Clue

“Let’s split up and follow them!” exclaimed Joe.   
“No,” said Jack firmly. “We should stick together. You two have already had a rough time last night. We’ll follow the guy your friend handed the envelope to. I’m sure your friend is going back to Elekton. This other guy, we need to nab him first.” He started up his car and they drove towards the corner the man disappeared around. But when they turned the corner, he was nowhere in sight.   
“What?” exclaimed Joe. “Where did he go? How could he have disappeared so quickly?”   
“I don’t know,” said Frank, his eyes still scanning the area for their quarry, “but it’s more than likely he disappeared into another store.”   
“We’re going to have to split up for sure now,’ said Joe, looking pointedly at Jack.   
“What are you looking for?” asked Jack, his eyes also scanning the street.   
Joe blinked. “What do you mean?”   
“Are you looking for a guy with a baseball cap, or are you looking for a guy that fits his description?” He shot a quick glance at Joe and Chet in the rearview mirror. “You saw him up close, right?”   
Chet gasped. “You’re right! Though I am looking for someone with a baseball cap that matches his description.”   
“You think he could have switched outfits?” asked Joe.   
Jack smirked. “You didn’t recognize me at first as Pretzel Pete, now did you?”   
Frank’s lip curled slightly. “No, we didn’t.” He turned to watching the street again. “But I didn’t get a good look at him, so I have nothing else to look for.”   
“But I do!” said Chet cheerily. “I recognised him the first time with the baseball cap!”   
“Then you be on the look-out for him, Chet, while we drive by. See if you can notice him,” said Jack as he began to drive through the street slowly.   
“Joe, did you not get a good look at him?” asked Frank.   
Joe winced. “Not entirely, I wasn’t paying that close of attention to him. I was paying more attention to your conversation with a particular fellow detective.”   
Frank let out a soft growl. “Go figure.”   
Joe snickered. “What? She was finishing up her own mystery.”   
“Focus Joe,” said Jack, “you’re now on your second mystery. Focus on this.”   
“Yes sir,” said Joe and turned his eyes back to the street. But he shot a sly glance at Frank and winked. Frank rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning back to looking at the street. Jack reached the light, made a U-turn, and they looked through the store fronts yet again.   
Chet huffed. “I’m not seeing him.”   
“Neither am I,” said Joe, “cap or no cap.”   
Frank slapped his armrest. “We missed him. He managed to disappear! But how?”   
“Looks like Ken is our only lead in that aspect,” said Joe. “At least, I hope. He might not even know the name of the guy he just delivered counterfeits to.”   
Frank gasped. “Jack! Stop the car!”   
“Not in the middle of the street, Frank,” said Jack.   
“Well pull into this parking lot, quick!” Jack pulled into the parking lot Frank indicated. As soon as he came to a stop, Frank was out of the car. He dashed towards an alleyway and picked up something before dashing back to the car. He had a manilla envelope.  
“That’s the envelope!” exclaimed Joe. “Yes!”   
“Is there a name on it?” asked Jack.   
“‘Victor Peters’,” read Frank. “‘Meet him at the paper store. If not there, drop it off at the abandoned farmhouse.’”   
Joe whistled. “This is one pretty big clue to have left behind.”   
“He probably thought he had properly disposed of it,” said Jack. “But now you don’t need to ask Ken Blake any questions.”   
“I think we do,” said Frank. “We don’t know which abandoned farmhouse he’s talking about. We’ve got a couple.”   
“Exactly, a couple. Not going to take you long to figure out which one it is.” Jack glanced at the clock. “Now I think it’s time for you boys to rest. You’ve already done enough work for today. Don’t need to hurt your heads even further.” He glanced at Chet quickly while he backed out of the parking lot. “Will you be able to stay tonight and help Trudy make sure they rest?”   
Chet shrugged. “I can ask. No guarantees.”   
“Thank you.” Jack pulled out of the driveway and took the boys back home. The boys were excited to look for fingerprints on the envelope. When they got to the house, Frank and Joe rushed into their little lab while Chet called his folks and Jack gave a few words of encouragement to Trudy before heading back out. The boys went over the envelope carefully, looking for any fingerprints or any other clues that could help them find this guy. They only found a few partial fingerprints.   
“Well, I hope that Chief Collig can do something with these,” said Frank as he pulled out his cell phone and called Collig.   
“You know some of these are going to be Ken’s, “said Joe.   
Frank nodded. “I know.” He turned his attention to the phone. “Hi Chief, it’s Frank, we have some fingerprints for you.”   
“You do?”   
“Yes we do.” Frank briefed him on the afternoon’s events.   
“Good for you!” said Collig. “But if this guy can hide pretty quickly, it might be awhile before we can catch him.”   
“We know, but your best bet would be the abandoned farmhouses.”   
“This is true,” said Collig, “but he could still find a place to hide even there. Those abandoned farmhouses are surrounded by trees and heavy foliage. It could take up more time than we have.”   
Frank blinked. “More time than you have? What do you mean by that?”   
“Uh, you know, before they ditch town? Many counterfeiters don’t stay in a town this size for long.”   
“Oh, right, sorry, I guess I need a little more rest.”   
“Yes, I think you do. You’ve done enough for today. I’ll send one of my men out later today to get those prints from you and I’ll call you once we get any results.”   
“Thanks Chief.”   
“Thank you. Rest up, and I’ll talk to you later.”  
“Right, bye!” Frank hung up and then told Joe what Collig said.   
Joe groaned and rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to rest, I want to get out there and catch these guys! They’ve shot arrows at you, Pete, and Slim, and knocked us two and Biff out! We need to take them down!”   
“And we will,” said Frank, “but we need to go about this a different way. They’ve had the upper hand both times we went to the cave.”   
Joe drummed his fingers on a bedpost. “What about the mill?”   
“What?”   
“What happens if we go to the mill?”   
“We could still meet with the same results.”   
“But we’ve got to get there!”   
“We will, we just need to come up with a good plan to do that.” Frank’s eyes went to the envelope. “Maybe it’s time for us to do a little sneaking around of our own.” He tapped the envelope. “If Ken meets this Victor Peters at the same place and at the same time, we could watch for him and follow him.”   
“Hmm,” said Joe. “We could ask Ken about it. And we could tell him we just saw him in town and ask him if that was one of his errands.” He paused and let out a huff. “But it could raise some alarms in his uncle’s head if he tells him about it.”   
Frank sighed. “Yeah, there’s that too.” He sat down on the bed. “Ugh, I think some more rest is necessary. My brain’s feeling a little fuzzy.”   
“Hey guys?” Chet’s head poked through the doorway. “My dad’s coming to pick me up. I have to do some chores tonight and early tomorrow morning, but they said I can spend tomorrow night here. Will that work?”   
Frank smiled. “That would be fine. Thanks for everything, Chet, you really are the best.”   
Chet ginned. “Takes one to know one.”   
Joe laughed. “Then we’re just surrounded by them!”   
“Can you blame us? You’ve always been ready to help us out at a moment’s notice, it’s only fair to repay it in kind. Did you find anything?” The boys showed him the fingerprints and told him what they wanted to do. Chet let out a low whistle. “Man, this was a big clue! Why didn’t he make absolutely sure it was destroyed?”   
Frank shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out once we’ve solved this mystery. And I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.”   
Chet scoffed. “Yeah, you’d better take what you can get, especially in this case with as many times as you’ve been in danger.” A horn honked. “Oh that’s my dad. Your aunt wanted me to tell you to rest up, she’ll have dinner on the table at six. I need to go. See you tomorrow!”   
The boys waved. “Bye Chet!” Chet waved before dashing down the stairs.   
Joe laid back on his bed. “Ugh, I know we need the rest, but my brain’s going a mile a minute, yet at the same time I feel like I can’t think very well.”   
Frank laid down too. “Yeah same here. I was kind of hoping Chet would have stayed around. He could have thought of something we haven’t.”   
Joe sat up, grinning from ear to ear. “Well, while he’s taking care of farm work, there is someone we can call who can help.”   
Frank looked at him, his eyes widening when he caught his meaning. “Joe! Will you stop it? It’s annoying. She has a name for crying out loud, use it!”   
“But the fact that you know who I’m talking about without even me mentioning her name is so much more fun. Catch my drift?”   
“Ugh, I live with your drift. And you are such an idiot.”   
“But admit it, Frank, talking with her just might be what we need.” With that, he was up and walking towards the phone.   
“Joe!”   
He was already dialing the number while glancing slyly at Frank. “Oh come on, Chet will have thought of something we haven’t, but then, so can Nancy.”   
Frank sighed. “Oh very well.” It wasn’t like he could do anything against it, she had picked up the phone now.   
“Hey guys, what’s up?”   
“Oh, we both got hit really hard on our little adventure last night,” Joe said chalantly, “and our brains still need a break. Could we put yours to use?”   
“Wait, what? What happened?” The boys became sullen as they went through the details of the past two days. “Oh, poor Biff! And your phone!” she exclaimed. “But all three of you are alright?”   
“We are, we just needed to allow our brains time to heal,” said Frank, “but when you’re on a mystery . . .”   
“You don’t want to stop until it’s solved,” she finished. “Yeah, I know.”   
“They’ve had the drop on us both times we went to the cave,” said Joe, “and I’m getting sick and tired of it. Think you can come at it from a different angle?”   
Nancy huffed. “I don’t know, fellows. And you’ve given me everything you’ve got?”   
“Yup,” chorused the boys.   
“OK, let me think for a moment.” There was silence on the other end for a moment. Then they could hear her mumbling, but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. “Hmm,” she finally said after another moment of silence. “I think you should find out more about how this gang operates before you start making any plans.”   
“You’ve got an idea, don’t you?” asked Joe.   
Nancy chuckled. “OK, so I might. You could call them up and fake an emergency meeting or something like that.”   
“Nancy Drew, you are a genius!” cried Joe with a whoop. “If you were here I’d kiss you!” He paused and looked slyly at Frank. “We both would!”   
Frank’s face went bright red. “M-maybe. But it is ingenious, Nancy, thank you so much!”   
Nancy giggled. “You’re very welcome! Glad to have been of some help to you, after all the help you’ve given me!” Joe grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Frank. Oh yeah, she liked him. “Now I think you guys should get some rest before you start sneaking around tomorrow. You’re going to need all the brain cells you’ve got.”   
“What? Are you saying we don’t use all of ours?” asked Joe.   
Nancy scoffed. “Not all the time.”   
“Hey!”   
Nancy laughed. “But seriously guys, you should rest. I didn’t like that you were hurt this badly, and especially after being shot at!”   
“Well, that just means our friendly archer wasn’t on guard duty last night,” said Frank. “Now whether that was Docker, Markel, or Peters, we don’t know.”   
“Heck, we don’t know if there’s another person in on it,” said Joe. “There is a possibility there’s someone else in on it with them.”   
Frank nodded. “This is true. We could in fact have a wole ring of counterfeiters here, but we’ve only run into three of them.”   
“Well, I hope you’re next run in doesn’t go as horribly as these first two.”   
“Same here,” said Frank with a sigh. “Which means the next thing on our list is checking out abandoned farmhouses. Maybe Victor’s left some clues behind at the farmhouse.”   
“If we get as lucky again,” said Joe. “He might have been even more thorough at the farmhouse, making sure nothing could be found.”   
“Well, that’s a risk you’re going to have to take,” said Nancy. “You’re just going to have to get out there and look.”   
Frank chuckled. “Fair enough.”   
“Frank, Joe, dinner’s on the table!”   
“Oh, there’s Aunt Trudy. We gotta go, Nance. Thanks for your help!” said Joe.   
“No problem! Just returning the favor! Oh, and it looks like I have to go too. Bess is calling me.”   
“How long were they supposed to be gone again?” asked Joe.  
Nancy chuckled. “They’ll be back in time for my birthday, don’t worry. I’d better go.”   
“Well, we’ll give you a call if we need any more help,” said Frank.   
“Don’t wait too long.”   
“We, uh, we won’t,” said Frank. “Well, talk to you later. Bye!”   
“Bye!” They hung up.   
“Good job, man, she’s really going to fall for you at this rate.”   
“Oh shut up and let’s go eat.” Joe laughed before taking off down the stairs, Frank following close behind. They were feeling a little bit better. A policeman came by a little after supper to get the prints. The boys mused as they laid in bed about what information the prints could give the police. But as they finally drifted off, they both were eager to be up again. They at least had a plan for the next day, checking out abandoned farmhouses, and couldn’t wait.


	14. The Clue at the Farmhouse

Frank and Joe were up bright and early the next morning, feeling even better than the day before. They had gotten almost nine hours of sleep, and it did wonders. They bounded down the stairs, only to find their aunt and Jack Wayne chatting over breakfast.   
Jack smiled at them as they slid into their chairs began eating heartily. “I see you two are feeling much better this morning.”   
“Oh so much better,” said Joe between bites, “I feel like I can think again!”   
“Oh brother,” muttered Trudy. Joe looked at her in surprise.   
Jack chuckled. “Well, that’s good to hear. Frank, what about you?”   
“I think I need some food in my stomach before I can answer that one.” He grinned. “But I am feeling better too.”   
Jack laughed. “Good!” He placed a package on the table. “This came in for you, Frank. But wait until you’ve finished eating to open it.”   
“Your new phone’s in!” whooped Joe.   
Jack nodded. “Yup, they got it in much more quickly than I thought, but I am glad. It wouldn’t do you any good to share one phone between you.”   
Frank frowned. “But my old number, and all my contacts . . .”   
“Has been transferred to your new phone,” said Jack. “All you need to do is to confirm that you got it and unlock it. Everything else should be there.”   
Frank sighed with relief. “That’s good to know.”   
Jack nodded. “And I think it would be best to get on the phone with the company right after breakfast to get that taken care of, the sooner the better.”   
“No kidding,” said Frank before stuffing another bite of food into his mouth.   
“So, what’s the plan today?” asked Jack.   
Joe shrugged. “We figured we’d check out the abandoned farmhouses.”   
Jack raised an eyebrow. “By yourselves?”   
Frank and Joe glanced at each other before grinning sheepishily at Jack. “Um, how about Chet and the girls come with us?” suggested Frank.   
Jack smiled. “That’s better. Alright, that will work.” He raised a finger. “But, I want one or both of you to text me or call your aunt when you’ve gotten to the farmhouses and as soon as you’re leaving. If it takes you more than an hour to look around a place, text me or call her when an hour has past. If more than two hours has past without any contact from you, we’re sending in the police. Understand?”   
The boys nodded. “Yes sir.”   
“Good, I want to avoid another incident like the other night.”   
“I do too,” said Frank grimly. He still considered it his fault for putting Biff and Joe in danger like that. But what was past was past, he just had to learn from his mistakes and prevent it from ever happening again.   
“Then we are in agreement. Now, hurry up with your breakfast. I want to see this new phone as much as you two.” Joe grinned and began speeding up. Frank did as well, but Joe was finished first and had to wait a couple more minutes before Frank finished as well. They quickly rinsed off their dishes and put them in the dishwasher before rushing back into the living room with the new package. But both boys came to a grinding halt when they saw another package sitting on the coffee table.   
“Uh, what’s that?” asked Joe, pointing at it.   
“Phone first, then you can open that one,” said Jack firmly. The boys glanced at each other, both burning with curiosity, but did as Jack said and Frank opened his box. Joe whistled as Frank pulled out the brand new phone with all the needed protective gear and the power cord. Frank had two options for his phone case, a Batman case or a Sherlock Holmes.   
“Cool!” said Joe. “Go with Sherlock durign the day and Batman during the night!”   
“I’m not going to change it every day!” exclaimed Frank. He put on the Batman case. “But I might use Batman when we’re on a mystery and Holmes when we’re not on one.”   
Joe shrugged. “Whatever you want to do man. Just hurry up and unlock it!” His eyes went to the mysterious package sitting so temptingly on the coffee table. Jack and Frank got on the home phone and called the phone company to unlock the phone. They were on their for a half hour. Joe was getting impatient and began bouncing his legs. But when they finally got off the phone, he lunged for the package on the coffee table. He gasped. “It’s from Nancy!” Frank zoomed to the sofa and snatched the package from him. Joe wrangled him for the package. “Hey, no fair! You already got to open one!”   
“Frank, let him open this one,” said Jack with a knowing grin.   
Frank crossed his arms and huffed. “Fine.” Joe tore it open. He pulled out two small packages, one with his name on it and another with Frank’s name on it. He handed Frank his and the two tore through it. Frank gasped when he got his unwrapped. “It’s a mini flashlight and multi-tool kit on a keychain!”   
“I got one too!” Joe grinned. “She’s so awesome.” He picked out a card. “‘To Frank and Joe, congrats on your first mystery. Hope these will help you on many more! Signed, Nancy.’” He handed the card to Frank. “The little sneak, she didn’t say anything!”   
Frank chuckled. “She probably figured we hadn’t gotten them yet because we didn’t thank her for them.”   
Joe crossed his arms. “Well, guess it’s now time to return the favor. She’s finished her first mystery.”   
Frank smiled as he fingered the present. “Mm-hmm.”   
Joe jumped up from the sofa with a shout. “And we’ve got calls to make! Come on, those farmhouses could still have clues!”   
“Right!” Frank jumped up as well, and the two dashed up the stairs. They quickly got dressed and made the calls. Chet and the girls were willing to go with them, Chet and Ellen promising to bring a pcinic lunch for them to enjoy. Ellen and Callie would meet up at the Morton’s farm and the four would go from there to pick up the Hardys.   
The boys heard the Queen before they saw it pulling into the driveway a half hour later. The boys told them about the packages they opened that morning. Chet and the girls oggled over the new phone and Nancy’s thoughtful presents. Callie smiled knowingly at Frank’s constant touching of both his new articles, especially the flashlight.   
The boys texted Jack when they got to the first farmhouse before getting out to check it out. The six went over every inch that they could, but there was no sign that anyone was living there. They texted Jack again before they left. They stopped at one of the parks to eat their lunch and rest for a bit. Then it was on to the next farmhouse. This time, it was more fruitful.   
“Look!” said Iola, pointing into a window. “It looks like someone has been sleeping here recently! And eating too!” The others crowded around her to take a look. It was true! There was a sleeping bag on the floor with several opened cans of food, and several more cans unopened.   
Ellen wrinkled her nose. “What a mess! Doesn’t look like he cleans up after himself very well.”   
“Maybe they get Ken to do that too?” wondered Chet worriedly, wrinkling up his own nose. “Poor kid.” He turned to the Hardys. “Have you looked into his background?”   
Joe shook his head. “Haven’t had a chance, but we should do that soon.”   
Frank nodded. “And we will. But we’re here now, so let’s take a look around.” The group went around the farmhouse, looking for some way in. They met back up at the front.   
Chet shrugged. “Should we break in one of the windows or something? The back door’s lcoked.”   
Joe tried the front door. “So’s the front.”   
“Well, let’s try looking around the yard. Maybe if we get the layout of the land, we could find out any hiding places where Victor could be hiding, if he is here.”   
Ellen glanced at him in shock. “If he is here?”   
Frank shrugged. “It’s more likely that he’s in town, but you never know.”   
Ellen shivered. “Ugh, and the mere thought of it frightens me.”   
Joe put a reassuring arm around her. “Don’t worry, Ellen, there’s six of us and one of him. We could overpower him easily.”   
Chet scoffed. “Yeah, unless he’s got some trick up his sleeve.”   
Joe shot him a look. “You’re not helping.”   
“What? It’s true!”   
Joe rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how you could be a farmboy and scared of everything.”   
“Being cautious isn’t all that bad,” retorted Chet. “If I recall, I’ve saved you quite a few times because I was being cautious.”   
Frank sighed. “Alright guys, knock it off.” He glanced at the surrounding land. “I think we should split up.”   
“ANd speaking of cautious, that’s not very cautious at all. We’re safer together.”   
“I’m not saying go off one by one so he can pick us off one by one, I’m saying to split into two groups of three. He can only go after one group, the other group can come help us if we need it.”   
Chet blinked. “Oh, OK, that’s a good point.” He glanced at their group. “But uh, how should we split up?”   
“Well, Joe will lead one team and I will lead the other.” Callie decided to go with Frank and Iola with Joe, leaving Chet and Ellen to make their decision. Chet decided to go with Frank, leaving Ellen with Joe. Then came the question of which team would take which side. With a toss of a coin, Frank’s team would go to the left of the house while Joe’s would go right. They would meet back up at the Queen in a half hour.   
There were groves of trees on both sides of the house, and Joe wanted to be sure they were careful so as not to get caught off guard. He took a quick glance at the treetops before they entered to see if anyone was in the trees. So far, he didn’t see anyone. But he knew that could change pretty quickly. As such, he requested Ellen to keep an eye on the surrounding foliage from time to time while he and Iola concentrated on looking for clues. Joe looked at the ground and the foliage, looking for something, anything. But not even the foliage looked like it had been broken. No footprints, no paper, nothing. Either he had cleaned up after himself rather well, or no one had been through this way.   
“Joe! Joe, come quick!” Joe and Ellen raced towards Iola’s voice. They found her in a small clearing, poking at the remains of a fire. She pushed out a couple pieces of paper that hadn’t been thoroughly burned.   
Joe kissed her cheek. “You’re amazing! He must use this fire to destroy any papers he has to so he doesn’t use the fireplace! That would attract people’s attention to the abandoned farmhouse for sure! Especially people who pass by it all the time.” He picked up the pieces of paper. His eyes scanned over them. “Hmm, they don’t seem like they would be anything important.” He shrugged as he pocketed them. “But you never know. Good job, Iola!” He promptly kissed her cheek again.   
Iola beamed. “Thanks Joe!” She pursed her lips. “But if there is anything important to be found on those pieces of paper, how can you find it? They’re mostly burned up.”   
Joe grinned. “We’ve learned a few tricks from Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot in the chemistry department.”   
Ellen raised an eyebrow. “How could you learn a few tricks from their stories? It’s not like Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle gave that much information concerning chemistry.”   
“We still learned a few tricks, nonetheless,” said Joe. He turned back to the ashes. “Let’s see if we can find anything else.”   
Ellen dropped to her knees and eagerly began to help. “Now if you guys found clues like this all the time, Chet and I would have no problem.”   
“Speaking of,” said Iola, “I wonder if Frank’s team has found anything.”   
“Well,” said Joe with a shrug. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”   
At that moment, Frank’s team was looking into their own clue. They had decided to look into the surrounding grove before looking into what Frank surmised to be a garage or shed of some kind. When they couldn’t find much in their quick search of the grove, they went back to the shed-like building.   
“This really does look like an old-time garage,” said Chet as they walked around it, looking for another way in. “More so than a shed, to be honest.”   
Callie shrugged. “Whatever you say, Chet. You know more about that than I do.” She turned to Frank when they reached the front. “Well, looks like those doors are the only way in.”   
Frank unclipped his brand new mini flashlight. “Looks like it. You two ready to go in?”   
“Uh, you’re the one with the flashlight, Frank, you can go in first,” remarked Chet.   
Frank glanced at Chet. “I kind of figured that.” He sighed and turned to the doors. “But we also need to make sure no one’s in there first.” He thought for a quick moment. “You each grab a handle and open it slowly. I’ll flash my light in there and see if I can see anyone.” Callie and Chet nodded. They each grabbed a door handle. Frank glanced between them. “Go.” They opened the doors slightly and Frank swung his flashlight around.   
“Anything?” whispered Chet.   
“Yeah, open them up all the way, will you? I don’t see anyone in there, but there’s definitely something in there we should definitely take a look.”   
Chet opened his door wider. “What?”   
“That truck, it could be the one that was used to get the supplies from the lumberyard.” He took a step in. “Come on, let’s get a few pictures. Maybe we can verify if it is with that workman and see if the Chief can run the plates.” He pursed his lips. “And if this is the same truck, then it’s definitely not Elekton property. It would be parked on Elekton property.”   
Callie stepped in. “Well, let’s take those pictures.” The three walked into the garage, each had their phones out, taking pictures. Chet and Callie went down one side of the truck while Frank went down the other. He noticed that the keys were dangling from the ignition. He thought it odd, but figured since not many people would be looking in this shed, that Victor Peters felt it would be alright to leave them in there, just in case he needed a quick getaway. When they got to the back of the truck, Frank let out a moan.   
“Go figure, no plates.” He knelt down and took a few pictures of the back of the truck.   
“They weren’t taking any chances, that’s for sure,” remarked Chet. “Though, if they really didn’t want to take any chances, they had better not have tried to kill you or even got you two on their scent, because now you’re not going to stop until they’ve been put behind bars.”   
Frank glanced up at Chet with a grin. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” All three jumped, Frank in fact fell back on his bottom, when the truck started up. “He’s in the truck! Get him!” They saw the guy jump out of the truck and dashed out. The doors closed tight right before they reached them. The fumes were starting to fill up the small space, causing them to cough. The three tried to open the doors, but they refused to budge. Frank and CHet tried to ram into them, but only got big bruises for their efforts.   
“Frank! We’ve got to get out of here!” exclaimed Callie.   
Frank turned and glanced at the fumes, coughing as his eyes began to tear up. They were going to need air soon. What could they do?


	15. A Surprise at Home

“Frank!” coughed Chet. “We’ve got . . . to get . . . out!”   
“I know!” Frank coughed as he glanced around, trying to think of something. His eyes fell on the truck. “Get in . . . the truck!”   
“What?” asked Callie between coughs.   
“The truck!” shouted Frank. He pushed them forward. Chet caught on his meaning first and climbed into the passenger side. Callie got in on the driver side and had to slide in so Frank could get in. They closed the doors and breathed.   
“Oh man, good idea, Frank,” said Chet as he sat back with a sigh of relief.   
Frank turned the key and grabbed the wheel. “It’s not done yet. Hold on!” He pressed on the gas and the truck lurched forward, breaking through the doors. The truck came to a stop. Frank leaped out when he saw Joe, Iola, and Ellen come rushing out of their side of the woods.   
“Are you alright?” asked Joe. “Is that their truck?”   
Frank grabbed him by the arm. “Did you see anyone rushing away from here?”   
Joe shook his head. “No, we came rushing out here when we heard the wood break.” He glanced at Iola and Ellen looking over Chet and Callie. He looked back at his brother. “Another attempt?”   
“A poor one,” said Frank before he coughed again. “He must have just used it as a distraction to get away from the house.”   
“He must not be far from here,” said Joe. “Come on! We can still nab him!”   
Frank turned to the others. “Iola, Ellen, make sure Chet and Callie get some water. We’ll be right back!”   
“But Frank, you need some too!” shouted Callie. But he and Joe had already taken off. The two searched the surrounding grove thoroughly, but they couldn’t find their quarry. They soon had another reason to stop as Frank began coughing a bit more than before.   
“We’d better call it quits and get you some water,” said Joe, fighting to keep the concern out of his voice. His brother just could not get a break during this mystery, and it was worrying him.   
Frank waved at him as the coughing subsided. “I’ll be fine. We have to catch that guy.”   
“Face it Frank, he’s long gone by now.” Joe snapped his fingers and leaned in to whisper, “but we leave now and get the police on their way here, he might be back in time for them to nab him.”   
Frank nodded and smiled wanly at the wisdom in his brother’s words. “Yeah, yeah, that might be the best way to get this done. Come on, let’s hurry up and get back to the gang.” He leaned in and whispered, “but we had better let the Chief know before we leave so they have enough time to get out here.”   
Joe nodded. “Right, I’ll take care of it.”   
Frank smiled. “Thanks.” The two dashed back to the Queen, where Iola and Ellen were fussing over Chet and Callie.   
“Did you catch the guy?” asked Chet.  
“Frank! Get some water!” ordered Callie. Ellen unceremoniously placed a bottle of water into Frank’s hand.   
“Thanks Ellen,” he said before downing half the bottle. He took a deep breath before turning to Chet. “No, unfortunately, we didn’t catch the guy.” He shot a glance at Joe who took out his phone and was dialing the number to Chief Collig’s desk. He turned to the others and whispered. “But we’re hoping that by leaving now, we’ll get the guy to come out of hiding by the time the police come.”   
Chet grinned. “I like that idea.”   
Frank chuckled. “I figured you would.”   
Joe walked up to Frank and spoke in a low voice. “Did you get pictures of the truck?”   
Frank nodded. “That was the first thing we did.”   
Joe nodded before speaking into his phone. “Yes Chief, he did.” Joe nodded a couple of times, muttering, “right, OK,” each time. He finished with, “Alright Chief, thanks a bunch. We’ll talk to you later.” Joe closed his phone. “The chief says to leave the truck, that might help lure him out.”   
Frank nodded. “Right, then let’s get home.”   
“Good, I think I’ve had enough fun for one day,” said Callie.   
“I second that,” said Chet with a raise of his hand.   
Joe held out his hand. “Then let me drive.”   
Iola scoffed. “Uh, no, I’m driving. This is my brother’s car and it needs special attention.”   
Chet grinned as he placed the keys in Iola’s hand. “I concur.”  
Joe rolled his eyes. “Oh whatever.” The others laughed before piling into the Queen. With a little lurch, they were off.   
The Hardys were dropped off at home first. They thanked their friends and waved goodbye to them before dashing into the house. The surprises didn’t seem to end for them as they found out upon entering the living room.   
“Mom!” they chorused as they rushed towards the sofa to hug her. She had been talking with Trudy, but now she welcomed her sons with open arms and a welcoming smile.   
“What are you doing back so soon?” exclaimed Frank.   
“You’ve solved your mystery already, didn’t you?” asked Joe, starting to feel sad about being beat. But he couldn’t quite feel too sad, he was happy to have his mother back home.   
Laura surprised them by shaking her head. “Actually we haven’t, the case led us back here.”   
The boys blinked in surprise. “Really?”   
Joe scratched his head. “But, how’s that possible? You haven’t exactly been gone for very long.” He pouted. “Though it did kind of feel like a long time.”   
Trudy scoffed. “With your antics, of course it did. You two have gotten into more trouble than Tom Sawyer.”   
“But Aunty,” began Joe.   
“Don’t ‘but Aunty’ me, young man,” said Trudy sternly. “You two have gotten shot at and knocked out!”   
“And gassed,” muttered Joe, shooting a glance at Frank.   
“What?” exclaimed Laura and Trudy. The boys quickly told their story, Frank trying to downplay it as much as possible, but the look on Joe’s face told Laura how bad it had gotten. She hugged her eldest.   
“Good for you for keeping your cool, Frank.” She smiled proudly at him before turning to Joe and hugging him. “And good for you for taking charge when your brother needed you to.”   
Joe returned the hug with a tight squeeze. “Thanks Mom.”   
Laura glanced back and forth between her boys. “So, why don’t we take a look at that paper and those pictures?”   
“But, aren’t you helping Dad on his case?” asked Joe warily.   
Laura chuckled. “I am, and I will be looking for clues to ours as well.” She winked. “But I can give you a few tips on yours as well. This is a race between you and your father, I’m only the referee.”   
“Oh, good, to know,” mumbled Joe.   
“So, where is Dad?” asked Frank.   
“He’s at Elekton right now, giving them the report of what we’ve found so far and who we suspect.” She shrugged. “I didn’t need to be there, so I stayed home to find out what you two have been up to.”   
“So you’re not going to try to stall us or anything?” asked Joe.   
Laura shook her head. “Nope, besides, while you may think this is fun, your father’s cases can get very dangerous.” Her face fell a little. “And it sounds like yours is as well. While this race to see who’s better is fun and all, these crooks aren’t playing and you’re going to have to keep that in mind.”   
Frank and Joe nodded. “We know, Mom,” said Joe. “We’ve found that out real quick.” He rubbed the bump on the back of his head for extra emphasis.  
“Then let’s take a look at those clues you’ve found.”   
Joe huffed. “If we can salvage anything,” he said as he pulled out the pieces of paper very gently from his pockets. He laid them out on the coffee table.   
Trudy threw up her hands. “Well, seeing as how you don’t need me, I’ll see myself out.”   
“Where are you going, Trudy?”   
“Nowhere dangerous like these two,” quipped Trudy. “I’m going to go grocery shopping. That always eases my nerves.”   
Laura smiled. “Thanks Trudy.” Trudy huffed before walking out the door, leaving mother and sons to turn their attention back to the paper. The three began spreading them out, trying to see if they could read anything.   
Joe huffed. “Looks like we’re going to have to use the chemicals.”   
“Or a hat box,” muttered their mother.   
“Which Aunt Trudy does not keep in stock for that reason,” said Frank with a soft smirk.   
Laura chuckled. “I’m afraid so. Why don’t we take a look at those pictures of yours, Frank, before we start working with chemicals.” The three scooted back onto the sofa, Laura and Joe on either side of Frank while he pulled out his phone. He pulled up the pictures to show them.   
“No plates, go figure,” muttered Joe when they saw the back of the truck.   
“Probably another reason why they needed the abandoned farmhouse,” pointed out Laura, “so they can hide the truck.” She pursed her lips. “Especially since they might not be done with it yet.”   
“You mean you think they might use for Dad’s case too?” asked Joe. Laura nodded. He groaned. “Ugh, I knew it! Our cases are connected!”   
Frank rolled his eyes. “Joe, the mere fact that the two guys we’re chasing is owrking at Elekton was proof enough they were connected.” He pursed his lips. “But then, why counterfeits?”   
Laura shrugged. “Might be a side job. This is the last Elekton building to be hit.”   
Frank and Joe looked at her in shock. “The last one to be hit?” they chorused.   
“You mean the one you were investigating was hit while you were there?” asked Joe incredulously.   
Laura nodded with a sigh. “I’m afraid so. That’s why we got back here as soon as possible. Your father’s trying to stay one step ahead of this guy.”   
Joe let out a low whistle. “One guy, huh?”   
“The ringleader, he clearly has a few people working under him. Probably just a few at each site, but it’s definitely worried the company and it’s obvious, based on what we’ve found, that there is a single mastermind behind all this. What we haven’t found out is who he’s working for. We know he gets inside help at each site, but we also have figured out that he has outside help as well.”   
“A rival company?” asked Joe. “Or a rival country?”   
Laura shrugged. “We hope to find that out soon, once we’ve dug further, or we catch the guy, whichever comes first.”   
“I hope you get both,” remarked Joe.   
Laura smiled. “Thank you, and I hope you two get your men.”   
The boys beamed. “Thanks Mom!”   
Laura stood up. “Well, I think that’s all we can look at. Have you sent those pictures to Ezra?”   
Frank shook his head. “No ma’am.”   
“I suggest you do that real quick before we head upstairs to see if we can salvage any writing off these papers.”  
“Yes ma’am,” said Frank, and quickly sent the photos to Collig.   
“Oh Mom!” Joe raised his hand.   
“Yes Joe?”   
“Would we be able to also look up the history of a guy named Ken Blake? Nancy’s got us wondering if his uncle really is his uncle.”   
“What’s his uncle’s name?”   
“Kurt Docker,” said Joe.   
Laura nodded slowly. “Yes, I think that can be arranged. How about you two handle the paper and I’ll look into Ken Blake for you.”   
“Thanks Mom!” the two chorused. All three went up the stairs, Laura went into Fenton’s study and closed the door while the boys went into their little lab.  
Joe rubbed his hands. “Alright, let’s see if we can’t get these babies to talk to us.”   
Frank grinned as he put on a pair of goggles. “More like, let’s make them sing.”   
Joe laughed. “That too.” The house was silent as the boys fiddled around with their chemicals and attempted to get some readings off the papers. Not all of them worked, some of the papers disintegrated immediately and the boys hoped there was nothing important on those. But there were a couple that they were able to get readings off of.   
“Uh, Joe?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Take a look at this one.”   
Joe looked over Frank’s shoulder as his brother took a picture of it and read the paper out loud. “‘Boys were getting close to the cave. Why did you. . .’ Ugh, go figure. I bet the rest of that was on another piece of paper.”   
“That, or it was already burned to a crisp.” Frank tapped his fingers on the table. “But this could mean they weren’t trying to get our attention, and they might blame Victor for putting us on their trail.”   
Joe scoffed. “I wonder if Victor blames them for confirming where they operate.” He grinned. “We certainly do.”   
Frank chuckled. “I bet they’re patting their backs over that one. Come on, let’s see if we can get some more.” They worked a little longer, though they didn’t get many more successes. Joe, however, did get one that made his eyes bulge.   
“F-Frank. Frank!”   
His brother rushed over to the other side. “What?”   
Joe pointed shakily at the words on the paper. “I think, I think we just found a clue for Dad’s case.” There, no mistake about it, was the word explosive.   
Frank’s eyes widened, but he had the sense to quickly take a picture of it. “We need to show Mom, now.” The two raced from the lab and burst into the study.   
“Mom! You’ve got to see this!” exclaimed Joe.   
Laura glanced up from the computer at them in surprise. “What is it? What’s going on?”   
“A piece of paper had the word explosive on it!” exclaimed Frank.   
Laura’s eyes widened and she stood up. “What?” The three paused as the doorbell rang. Laura blinked. “Who in the world?” She went down the stairs, followed by the boys, and went to the front. She opened the door.   
Frank and Joe gasped as their eyes widened. “Ken Blake!”   
Ken looked like he was on the verge of tears. “C-can I stay here? Please?”   
Laura opened the door. “Of course! Frank and Joe were just telling me about you. They were asking me to look into your uncle’s past.”   
Ken shook his head with a sniffle. “There’s no need. I know, I know he’s not my real uncle. He told me so himself when he fired me!” Laura placed a reassuring hand on Ken’s shoulder as he let out a sob. “And I have nowhere else to go!”   
“Whoa man, that, that sucks,” said Joe.   
“Yeah, but, but that’s not all.” Ken took a breath. “They’re planning on killing me!”   
The Hardys’s eyes widened. “What?” they exclaimed in unison.   
“What for?” asked Laura.   
“I, I overheard something, something I wasn’t supposed to.” He sniffled. “They’re supposed to let Mr. Peters in soon with a special package for Elekton.” He glanced between them, his eyes widening with horror. “Guys, they’re going to blow it up, tonight!”


	16. Planning a Stakeout

Joe grabbed Ken by the shoulders. “What do you mean, they’re planning to blow up the building? What time?”   
“I-I don’t know!” exclaimed Ken. “They just said it was happening tonight! I couldn’t hear more because that’s when Uncle Dock saw me and came rushing after me! I jumped on my bike and high-tailed it out of there. But he was shouting that he was going to kill me when he found me!”   
Laura held the boy close. “You came to the right place. We’ll find a way to keep you safe.”   
“Speaking of, how did you find our house?” asked Joe.   
Ken sniffed. “I, I asked around.”   
“And if Docker asks those same people, he’ll be here real quick,” said Frank. He glanced at his mother. “We’d better call the Chief and Dad and let them know.”   
Laura nodded. “I agree. Everyone up to the study, now.” Laura grabbed Ken’s hand and led the way up the stairs. She picked up the phone and called Fenton, putting the phone on speaker. The line went straight to voicemail. “Fenton, the boys and I have an important clue regarding the case. Call me back as soon as you get this. Love you, bye.” She hung up and called Collig.   
Collig answered. “Police Chief Ezra Collig speaking. What do you have for me?”   
“Chief, is there any movement at the abandoned farmhouse?” asked Frank.   
“None that I’ve heard so far. Why?”  
“Ken Blake just walked in, telling us that they plan to blow up the building tonight, Ezra,” said Laura.   
“Oh Laura! You’re back! Wait, tonight?”   
“Yes!” exclaimed Ken.   
“Do you know exactly what time?” asked Collig.   
“Um, n-no,” said Ken. “They didn’t say, they saw me listening before they said.”   
“TOugh luck, but I’m glad you got out of there safely.”   
“Speaking of, Ezra, one of the men threatened to kill Ken should he find him again. Could I request that one of your men come here and be a guard for the night? Or at least until we can catch those men?”   
“Hmm . . . maybe I have a better solution. Those crooks would probably have figured out Ken has gone to you with the information. What if I have one of my men take him to his house and keep him there until things blow over? Almost like a witness protection program kind of thing.”   
“Um, are you sure? I don’t want to be too much trouble,” said Ken.   
“It’s not like you have anywhere else to go at the moment,” pointed out Joe. “Consider it temporary until we can find your real uncle.”   
Ken nodded. “That is a good point. Alright, it’ll work.”   
“Great. Reilly’s coming off duty here in a few minutes, I’ll send him over and pick you up. Be sure to have your things ready when he does.”   
‘Yes sir,” said Ken.   
“Alright. So, what did Fenton have to say?”   
“He didn’t say anything,” said Laura. “It went straight to voicemail. I left a message for him to call us back the instant he gets it.”   
Collig let out a breath. “I hope he gets it soon.”   
“I do too, he didn’t tell me when he was getting out of the meeting at Elekton.”   
“Well, it should be before closing time, which is around six,” said Collig.   
Frank and Joe glanced at the clock. It was now only three o’clock. “Do you really think they’ll strike while everyone is still there?” asked Joe.   
Laura shook her head. “No, every single time it’s happened, everyone else was gone except the guards.”   
“They’ve arrested the guards, I hope?” asked Frank.   
Laura nodded. “Of course, but they’re not talking, unfortunately. Either they were paid fairly well, or people close to them were threatened.”   
“What time did Dad go to the meeting?” asked Frank.   
“The meeting started at one. He should be home soon, in fact,” said Laura. “I hope that’s his excuse for not getting back to us.” She paused. “Well, besides the fact that we’re on the phone with you right now, Ezra.”   
Collig chuckled. “That’s fine. You can call me back once you’ve heard from Fenton.”   
Joe turned towards the door. He thought he heard a car door closing. “Unless that’s Dad outside right now.”   
“I hope so,” said Laura. “Ezra, can you wait a moment while we check?”   
“Sure.”   
“Thank you. Ken, stay here.” The three Hardys left the study and went down the stairs. They reached the bottom as the front door opened and fenton Hardy walked in.   
“Dad!”   
“Fenton!”   
He raised an eyebrow. “My goodness, I’ve only been away for two hours. You’re acting like I’ve been kidnapped again, or something!” He kissed his wife. “But I guess that means you found something.”   
“Oh boy, did we ever,” said Joe.   
“Let’s head back up to the study,” suggested Frank. “Ken and the Chief are waiting.”   
Fenton blinked as he glanced between them. “The errand boy heard something?”   
“And his life has been threatened for it,” said Laura. “Ezra’s sending Reilly over to take him to his house so he can’t be found by his pursuers.” She let out a huff. “And he might have to stay there until we’ve found his real uncle.”   
“Oh my, a big development. Lead the way.” Laura nodded and began going up the stairs. “By the way, any developments with the farmhouse hunt?” Fenton asked the boys as they walked up the stairs. Frank and Joe took turns, giving Fenton a quick account of what happened. They finished their summary as they entered the study room. He patted each one on the back. “You did fabulous out there.” he turned and looked at Ken. He walked towards the boy, extending his hand. “And you must be this brave Ken Blake I’ve heard so much about.”   
Ken became flustered, but he shook Fenton’s hand heartily. “I-I wouldn’t say particularly brave. I just didn’t think it right that the Elekton building should be blown up.” he let out a breath. “Of course it was made easier by finding out my uncle really isn’t my uncle, so I guess you can say this is payback for lying to me.” His brown eyes flashed with anger.   
Fenton nodded. “Understandable, and I hope in return we can find your real uncle.”   
“I’m working on it, Fenton,” came Collig’s voice over the loudspeaker, startling everyone.   
“Oh, hello Ezra! Glad to hear that you’re already on top of that. Laura told me about Reilly coming to pick him up.”   
“Yup, and he should be there in a few minutes, so have your things ready to go Ken.”   
Ken chuckled nervously. “I already am. I only have the clothes on my back and my bike.” Everyone gasped.  
“What? But I thought . . .” began Joe, but Ken interrupted him.   
“I did have other clothes, but I don’t dare go back to the boarding house, not now. Besides, he only got me a few nasty things. I only wore them so I could get these clothes cleaned.”   
Joe huffed. “Well then, now’s a good time to raid my closet.”   
“You’re finally going to clean it up?” quipped Frank.   
“Hey!”   
Fenton chuckled. “Don’t go smearing good deeds with humor, Frank, they’ll lose their heart real quick.”   
“I know, Dad, but it’s good fun needling him about it,” said Frank with a big grin.   
“Oh I bet,” said Fenton. He turned to Ken. “Why don’t you go with Joe and pick out a few things to take with you.”   
Ken’s eyes widened. “Oh, but!”   
Fenton held up a hand. “Just for now, until you’ve gotten some things of your own.”   
Ken sighed. “Alright.” But he followed Joe out with tears in his eyes and a big, goofy grin.   
“Ezra, the boys told me you have a few squad cars over at the farmhouse where one of these guys is staying.”   
“That’s right.”   
“How many exactly?”   
“Two.”   
Fenton thought a moment. “Ok, how about you just have one watching the place and send the other car to Elekton. I aim to apprehend this guy while delivering the explosives.”   
“So, instead of apprehending him at the farmhouse?”   
“Have your car follow him to the Elekton building. We’ll corner him with the incriminating evidence.”   
“Fantastic. I love it when that happens.”   
Fenton chuckled. “You and me both.”   
“What time are you thinking for this?”   
Fenton glanced at the clock. “Hmm . . . well, the best time would be between six and eight. The majority of the workers will be gone by six, and the janitors and night guards are gone by eight. That is the usual time this guy has attacked at other locations. However, I would like it if everyone was there at five-thirty.”   
“How come?”   
“I think there is another inside man, besides the two guards the boys are after. I want to see if any information is passed before they leave, see if we can’t get it narrowed down to the leak.”   
“That sounds like a plan. Alright, I’ll gather some men and meet you there at five-thirty.”   
“Fantastic.”   
“Can we go with you?” asked Frank. “Those two guards are the men we’re after in our case.”   
“It’s fine by me if it’s fine by you, Fenton,” said Collig.   
Fenton chuckled. “Sounds like you’re itching for them to go too.”   
“Hey, the last time we did this was without you, but it was a blast.”   
Fenton glanced at Laura. “Well, what do you think, dear?”   
“I think I had better go too to make sure you three stay out of trouble. It seems like it always happens when I’m not there.”   
Collig laughed. “When neither of us are there. They’re just a few danger magnets.”   
“Ok, fair enough, all four of us will be there for five-thirty, provided Trudy doesn’t try to tag along as well,” said Fenton.   
“Yes! Thanks Chief! Bye!” Frank was out the door and rushing into his bedroom. Joe and Ken were stuffing an extra backpack they had with a few shirts and jeans. They glanced up when Frank came into the room.   
“What’s up with you?” asked Ken.   
Joe, who knew his brother better, merely grinned with delight. “You’ve got some great news. Spill!”   
“All four of us; you, me, Mom, and Dad, are going to stake out the Elekton building to catch those crooks!”   
Joe fist-pumped the air. “Yes!”   
A troubled look came over Ken’s face. “Just you four?”   
Frank shook his head. “Oh no, we’ll have a few cops there too. And the cops watching the farmhouse are going to tail the green truck to the lab.”   
“Aw yeah!” said Joe. “This mystery is as good as solved!”   
Frank paused. “Well, maybe?”   
Ken blinked. “What do you mean by maybe? You’ll have caught the guys!”   
“Yeah, but, we haven’t found out where Docker and Markel were making the counterfeits.”   
Joe snapped his fingers. “You’re right! But I bet I know where.”   
“In the cave,” he and Frank said at the same time.   
“So it really isn’t going to take you guys that long then,” said Ken. “You just have to catch those crooks and get the counterfeits machines out of the cave and you’re good to go.”   
Joe shrugged. “Yeah, can’t believe it’s all over.”   
“Well, it won’t be quite over once we’ve caught those crooks,” said Fenton as he walked into the room followed by Laura. “We’ve still got to go to court, and we wouldn’t be able to solve any mysteries until then.”   
“Wait, court?” asked Joe.   
Fenton nodded. “Yes, whoever is paying Peters, he’s got to be the one behind all this, is going to make sure he stays out and is going to fight us in court.”   
“Ugh, and how long is that going to be?” asked Joe.   
Fenton shrugged. “I have no clue, however long it will take to prove to the judge and jury that we are in fact telling the truth.”   
“And provided our opposition doesn’t have any sly tricks up their sleeves,” muttered Laura.   
“You can outsmart them, my dear, so if you don’t mind, I’ll leave that to you,” said Fenton before bringing her hand to his lips.   
“Oh, how kind of you.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll do my best.”   
“If you’re doing your best, then they have no chance whatsoever,” Fenton said with a sly grin. Laura opened her mouth to answer, but then the doorbell rang.   
“Oh thank goodness,” whispered Frank before dashing down the stairs to answer it. There was Officer Reilly, out of uniform.   
“Hello Frank, is my young charge ready?”   
“Y-yes, I’m here,” said Ken softly, appearing behind Frank with the backpack.   
“Officer Reilly, this is Ken Blake. Ken, this is Conrad Reilly,” Frank quickly introduced them.   
The two shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you Ken. You have everything?”   
“Nice to meet you too,” replied Ken. “And yes I do.”  
“Alright, let’s go. The Chief doesn’t want us to take a chance, so I suggest we head out now.”   
“Yes sir.”   
“Thank you, Con,” said Fenton.   
Reilly gave Fenton a little salute. “Not at all. You guys take care.”   
“We will!” said Joe.   
“You take care yourself!” said Laura with a wave. Reilly gave her a little salute in answer before leading Ken to his car. In a few minutes, the two were gone.   
“Alright, in a little while, it will be time for us to leave as well,” said Fenton, glancing at his phone.   
“Well, I suggest a little snack for right now. We might have to do a lot of running.”   
“Sounds like a plan,” said Fenton, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.  
“Hey, what if we ask the guys to come along?” asked Joe. “I know it’s a little late, but I’m sure a few of them wouldn’t mind helping us nab these crooks.”   
Fenton nodded. “That actually sounds like a good idea. You two make those calls, I’ll help your mom in the kitchen.” The boys quickly made their calls, and a few of the gang were more than happy to help, especially after hearing what had happened to Ken. They joined their parents in the kitchen for the light snack, and for a little while, they chatted away like any other family. But all were anxiously waiting for the upcoming stakeout, knowing that the end was close by.


	17. The Hidden Connection

The Hardys left their house not long after Trudy got back. After a quick explanation of where they were going, they were gone.   
“What should we be doing once we get there?” asked Joe as the family left the house behind.   
“Well, for one thing, your job is to keep an eye on your two men. Your mother and I will focus on this Peters fellow and look for the inside man. There may even be a fifth man in this plan, in which case Ezra will have to take care of that, but I think there is something missing in all of this.”   
“What do you mean?” asked Frank.   
“Primarily the counterfeit part. Why were these men doing that? Are they doing it as a side job, or was it their primary job and were brought into the plot because they were doing the counterfeits?”   
“You mean, like, blackmail?” asked Joe, wrinkling his nose.   
“Well, that’s one way to get them involved, but it’s more than likely because they were already doing criminal activity that bringing them on board for more criminal activity, and for the right price, made the most sense.” Fenton shrugged. “But that’s if they were doing the counterfeits first. They could have started after they got their jobs at the mill.”   
“Speaking of,” said Frank, “we still haven’t found their base of operations. And I for one would like to find it.”   
“I thought you said it was for sure in the cave?”   
“We walked down that cave towards the old mill,” said Joe, “but it was a dead end, or so it seems. There’s got to be a hidden door in there somewhere, we just have to find it.”   
“And we should have some guys stationed at the cave especially towards the other tunnel. We didn’t check it out, but we suspect that tunnel might open up near a beach and they might have a boat moored there.”   
Fenton nodded. “I think we can have Ezra arrange that. And since we really don’t need you and your friends to help us, maybe you can start looking for that hidden door.”   
“But, what if we can only get to it from the other side?” said Joe. “We’d have to look for the entrance to that. The cave just might be the back door.”   
“But see, that doesn’t make sense. If they knew for certain you wouldn’t be able to get in from the cave, they wouldn’t have felt the need to attack you,” Fenton said matter-of-factly. He shook his head. “No, there is a way in, and they don’t want you to find it. Clearly they know if you two look long and hard enough, you will find it.” He paused. “Hmm, maybe that is the best plan of action. We’ll keep an eye on the guards and keep them distracted while you and your friends search the cave. And I mean really search it. Split up into two groups, one group checks the one tunnel while the other checks the other side. See where that other tunnel does come out at. And if it is at the beach, we might have to call in the Coast Guard, just to be on the safe side.”   
Laura nodded. “I like that plan.”   
“It has your seal of approval, then I guess it’s a go,” Fenton shot her a grin.   
Laura chuckled. “Yes it does.”   
“Yes!” shouted Joe. “We can finally really explore that cave without any interference!”   
“But we will still be timed,” said Frank. He glanced at his watch. “If we get there at five-thirty and we’re expecting the bomb anywhere between six and eight, we’d only have two hours really, to search.”   
“Hmm,” said their mother. “We could drop you off at a location close to the cave, but far away enough that those guards wouldn’t see you, hopefully.”   
“I was thinking the same thing, but I thought it best that we check to see if the guards are at their post before the boys start their exploration.”   
“Unless you still drop us off, but we don’t start searching until we get a text from you telling us both Markel and Docker are at their posts,” suggested Frank  
Fenton chuckled. “Well, I can see those brain cells you gave them are being put to use.” He brought his wife’s hand to his lips and gave it a quick kiss before lowering it and putting his hand back on the wheel.  
Laura chuckled. “They had to get it from someone.”   
“Ooh, ouch, you bring me low,” said Fenton.  
Laura laughed. “You're not stupid Fenton, but you were known to rush into things rather quickly, coming up with a plan along the way. It's why you married me, so you could learn from the best.”   
Fenton laughed. “Well, at least that plan worked. I am learning from you every day.”   
Laura patted his leg. “Which explains how you’re getting better every day.”  
Fenton laughed. “Good to know.” He glanced at his sons in the rearview mirror. “Is there any particular place that would be close enough to the cave but far enough from the mill that I could drop you off at?”   
The boys thought a moment and shrugged. “Maybe just a little further down the road past the cave,” said Frank. “We should be able to reach the cave easily from there.”  
“Hey, maybe we should have the rest of the gang meet us there,” said Joe, pulling out his phone.   
“Good idea,” said Frank. Joe quickly typed out the message and sent it to the guys who were coming, namely Tony, Chet, Jack, and Jerry. Slim and Pete had been asked to make sure that Biff didn’t try to sneak out and join them, Frank wanted him to get loads more rest, and Phil was to be on standby, just in case. Joe pocketed his phone after sending the text.   
“They’ll meet us there. Chet in particular seems quite alright with being as far away from the mill and with their attention on you,” said Joe.   
Fenton chuckled. “Not surprised.” A few minutes later, the boys had directed their father to a good spot some distance from the mill and the cave. The boys’s parents gave them some parting words of caution before leaving them to meet up with Collig and his men. A minute later, their friends showed up. Frank sighed with relief seeing that Tony had brought them in the Prito’s van. Though the Queen was a beaut, it would have made too much noise.   
“Hey, come on, we knew better than to bring Queen!” said Chet with a pout as the group got out to greet the Hardys. They each had a flashlight.  
Frank laughed. “I’m sorry Chet, I guess I was much easier to read than I thought.” He brought his finger to his lips. “And while we are several feet away from the mill and the cave, it’s best to keep it down. We don’t want to take any chances.”   
Jack and Jerry saluted him. “Aye aye Captain!” they whispered.   
“Right, and we are going to have to split up into two groups,” said Joe.   
Chet moaned. “Again? The last time we did that I nearly suffocated!”   
“Well then, how about you take the group that heads to the beach, Frank and I can take another fellow and head towards the mill.”   
“And I think Tony should go with him,” said Frank. “You’re the one with the most experience in handling a boat. If there is one moored at the end of your tunnel, sabotage it as best as you can.”   
Tony nodded. “Right.”   
“What about us?” asked Jerry.   
Jack raised his hand. “I want to go with Tony and Chet. If there is a boat, I would like to help and maybe get a few pointers.” He grinned. “Since Dad is getting one.”   
Joe scoffed. “Yeah, lucky.”   
Frank, however, nodded. “That sounds fine. Guess that means you’re with us, Jerry.”   
Jerry shrugged. “Sounds fine by me.”   
Frank waved the forward. “Alright, let’s go, we really only have two hours to do this, so we’re going to have to work quickly.”   
“Got it,” their friends chorused with a quick nod before following the Hardys to the cave. They dashed towards the cave, going as quietly as they could. They watched out for low-hanging branches, sticks on the ground, and especially for an archer. No one wanted to be shot, least of all Frank. But they didn’t see anyone as they neared the mouth of the cave.   
“So far so good,” whispered Chet. They were standing inside the cave now. No arrows had whizzed by their ears, which meant the guard was at the mill, not watching the cave.   
“Alright, remember, just find out where your tunnel leads. If there is a boat, sabotage it as best as you can and get back here. If we haven’t gotten back ten minutes after the two hours are up, get out here and go for the police,” whispered Frank.   
Tony, Chet, and Jack nodded. “Got it.”   
“Alright, good luck,” said Joe.   
“You too,” said Chet as the two groups split up. Frank, Joe, and Jerry swung their flashlights around as they walked down their tunnel. Jerry noticed the lack of stalagmites and stalactites as they got closer to the dead end.   
“Why would they have to do that though,” said Jerry after Frank explained their theory for why they were cut down. “It’s not like people couldn’t maneuver around all this.”   
“But if you’re carrying equipment and counterfeits, they can prove to be a problem,” pointed out Frank.   
“And here’s another problem,” said Joe. His flashlight was shining on a wall of rock. “If I was to get any equipment out, how would I be able to go through a wall of rock?”   
Frank stepped towards the wall, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. “A better question would be, if I was a secret door, where would I be?”   
“And where would the mechanism be to open it?” asked Joe.   
Frank touched the rock. “Maybe the door is painted to look like rock? We can’t knock on anything either. We don’t want to attract their attention by literally knocking on the door.”   
Jerry scoffed. “Not only that, but, I’d like to not have to bruise my knuckles to find out.”   
Joe pointed at him. “That too.”   
“Well then, let’s get searching,” said Frank. “Go over every inch carefully. We can’t afford to miss anything.”   
“Roger that,” said Jerry. The three scrutinized every inch, looking for some door or mechanism to open the secret door. They reached as high as they could and crouched down to see if anything was on the floor too. After several minutes of rubbing their hands over cold rocks and pressing on everything gently, Joe let out a gasp.   
“Guys!” he hissed. Frank and Jerry rushed over towards him. “No wonder why we couldn’t see it the first time!” He pushed some dirt out from the top of a rock. There was a rope and a pulley. The three pulled on the rope, and the rock slowly opened. All three were poised to stop at the instance they heard any sound from the rock, but it slid open noiselessly.   
“This is ingenious,” whispered Jerry.   
Frank nodded. “It really is. At first glance, no one would have thought of this being a secret door.” His eyebrows furrowed. “But I do wonder why they wanted to keep us from this cave. We didn’t notice it the first time.”   
“Yeah,” said Joe, “but they must not have thought we weren’t just going to hang around and find it.”   
“Unless they weren’t finished building whatever it was they needed to build?” suggested Jerry. “It has only been a few days since they got those supplies from Prito’s Supply Yard.”   
“That is true,” said Frank, “in which case they might have thought they were going to be counterfeiting here a while after the drop-off tonight. And speaking of which,” Frank glanced at his watch, “we have about an hour left. Let’s get in there and see what we can find and bug out.”   
“I second that,” said Joe. The three tiptoed into the secret room. Joe let out a low whistle. They couldn’t see it all earlier as the door couldn’t let them see far into the room, but now that they were in it, they could see a whole counterfeit station. The floor was laid with brick and lumber made up some of the walls. At the farthest side of the room stood a printing press and bags of fake twenty-dollar bills. On the opposite wall was a door.   
“Wow, we really hit the jackpot!” whispered Jerry.   
Frank walked towards one of the bags and picked up a bill. “Yeah, a jackpot in fool’s gold, or bills in this case. There’s a lot here.”   
“Are they planning on doing one more haul and bugging out?” wondered Joe.   
“It’s possible. Let’s see where that door leads,” said Frank.   
“Probably right into the mill,” muttered Joe.   
“Or a cellar?” suggested Jerry. “I don’t think we’re above ground.”   
“Sh!” hissed Frank as they neared the door. All three teens pressed their ears against it. Frank motioned the other two to back away before opening the door slowly. He couldn’t see or hear anyone. He motioned them to follow and to keep quiet. The two tiptoed through what looked like a cellar full of odds and ends. They walked towards the stairs, and paused. Voices drifted down to them.   
“I’m telling you, Victor, Blum needs to hold off! There are cops out there!” The boys’ hearts beat rapidly. So they found out about the stakeout! But, how? “I told you not to do anything once that brat left.” Frank and Joe glanced at each other. Right, Ken. “ He told those Hardy brats that you two were making that drop-off tonight and they told the police! Why do I have to do all the thinking for you?” The boys inched up the stairs. When they got to the top, they could hear the static of a radio.   
A voice came through the radio with a scoff. “Says the jerk who practically shouted with arrows, ‘look, here’s our secret base! Come and find us!’ I seriously can’t believe I’m in business with you two.”   
“Will you three knock it off?” came another voice on the radio. “I’m not paying you to argue about this! We’ll postpone it for now. I’ll call back with further instructions later. You two had better be waiting.”   
“Yeah, of course we will be. You still haven’t paid us. And we’re working on making our final haul, so be ready to pick up the last of the counterfeits, Victor,” said another voice. Frank and Joe glanced at each other. That was the guard they talked to before heading out to the cave that first time. But that also meant as soon as this call was over, they’d be back in the secret room making more counterfeits. Unfortunately, this meant their father wasn’t going to get his men tonight.   
Frank motioned Joe and Jerry to head back down. The three scampered quietly back down the stairs and into the secret room. Frank closed the door quietly and the three dashed back into the cave tunnel, closing the rock door behind them. Once the rock was closed the three let out a breath.   
“So, we’ve found their stash, and where they’re doing it,” said Joe.   
“Yeah, but we can’t nab them yet, Dad still needs to get his men still. And if they’re not going to go through with it tonight, we might have to wait until we can grab them. But one thing’s for sure, none of them are going to leave until Dad’s bomber pays them. We’ll have to act fast before they leave.” Frank glanced at his watch, even though not much time had gone by. “And we should head back. We’ve got to let them know about this.” Joe and Jerry merely nodded before the three raced back to the cave opening. Chet, Tony, and Jack were already there waiting.   
Chet’s eyes widened when they saw the Hardys and Jerry come racing towards them. “You found something, didn’t you?”   
“Oh yeah,” said Joe between panting breaths, “and we also know that the stakeout isn’t going to work. They had already figured that Ken told us everything he heard. They know the cops are here, so the drop-off isn’t happening tonight.”   
Tony let out a huff. “Go figure.”   
“Yeah, but we’ve got to be on our guard from here on out,” remarked Frank, “we won’t know when they will strike. Come on, we should let Mom and Dad know.”  
“And Chief Collig,” added Joe, right before the teens left the cave.   
At eight o’clock sharp, the cop cars left the vicinity, Tony took the fellows home and the Hardys were on their way back home, slightly disappointed but excited at being so close.   
“I appreciate you boys waiting to capture your men until I can nab mine,” said Fenton. “Too bad those crooks caught Ken listening in, otherwise, this would have been all over tonight. But, oh well, it might give me enough time to figure out who’s the actual inside man. Someone has to let Blum into the building.”   
“Do you know who this Blum fellow is?” asked Joe.   
Fenton shook his head. “Not a clue, he’s definitely not on the roster at Elekton, which means he could in fact have been hired by rivals of Elekton or the United States. Someone desperately wants us to lose in the race to get the first people on Mars, or at least for Elekton to lose. I’m sure I can find something out tonight. I’ll drop you off and head over to the station. Ezra and I will look into that, as well as Ken Blake. That kid’s been through a lot, and we owe it to him to find his uncle.”  
Joe grinned. “I agree.”   
“I started looking into him when he himself interrupted my search,” said Laura.   
“Did you find out much?”   
She shook her head. “I didn’t get further than finding out how his parents died. The poor boy. I do hope you find something soon.”   
“Unless you want to come with me and you look into Ken Blake while I look into Blum?”   
Laura thought a moment. “I think I shall.”   
“Alright, then I expect you two to eat a quick supper and head to bed.”   
“Aw, can’t we come with you?” asked Joe.   
“You’ve done enough for one night, and for once you weren’t attacked. No, I think you should get some sleep. These past few days have been rough on you and you need some kind of rest. Especially since you’ll probably be bored out of your mind once we get underway into the trial.”   
Joe huffed. “Fine.”   
Fenton chuckled. “Thank you.” As soon as they pulled into the driveway, the boys were out of the car. They waved goodbye as their parents left again before walking into the house.   
“Where are your parents?” asked Trudy the instant they walked into the house. “And this boy named Ken Blake has been calling the house nonstop!”   
Frank and Joe glanced at her in alarm. “He has?” asked Frank.   
“Did he say why?” asked Joe.   
Trudy shook her head. “Only that he needed to talk to you two. He left a number, it’s by the phone.”   
“Thanks Aunt Trudy,” said Frank, walking straight away to the phone.   
“I’ll be right back, I’m going to get something to eat,” said Joe.”   
“Get me something too, please?” asked Frank as he picked up the phone. Joe nodded and walked away while Frank dialed the number. It rang a couple of times before Ken’s voice came on.   
“Uh, hello? Please tell me this is Frank and Joe Hardy!   
“Hiya Ken, it’s Frank. Is something wrong?”   
“Yes! My big, stupid brain! I had completely forgotten this after hearing they were going to blow up the building and they caught me listening!”   
Frank eyes widened. “What? What else did you hear?”   
“That they had to do the bombing tonight, they were supposed to be leaving tomorrow!”


	18. This Mill Has Eyes

Joe came back into the living room with a couple of sandwiches, munching away at one. Man, good old bread and meat. Frank was still on the phone. But he was also typing away furiously on his cell phone.  
“You got all that, right?” Frank nodded. “Ok, good, just do that and we’ll be good. Thanks for telling me, Ken. Bye!” He hung.   
“What did he say?” asked Joe before taking another bite of his sandwich and holding out the other to Frank.   
“Ken said he also overheard them talking about needing to leave in the morning!” Joe paused mid bite and blinked in surprise. “The bombing could still happen tonight! We’ve got to get back there!”   
“What?”   
“I’ve already texted the gang. Tony and Chet said they can meet us back at the mill.”   
Joe quickly swallowed his bite. “The mill? Wouldn’t the cave be better?”   
“Joe, we’ve got to be inside the guardhouse so we can text Mom and Dad as soon as their guy shows up!” Frank grabbed his sandwich and stuck it in his mouth before turning and rushing out the door.   
“But how are we supposed to get into the mill? They’re guarding it!” exclaimed Joe as he followed his brother out to their bikes.   
Frank paused, but he quickly chewed his sandwich. “Maybe we could call them out, pretending to be Victor or Blum. We know what they sound like, or at least, sort of.”   
“Yeah, that could work!” Joe quickly finished his sandwich and put on his helmet. “But we’d have to make it quick once we’ve called them.”   
“If we can call them,” said Frank, walking back to the house. “I’m going to call Ken and get the number to the mill! Be right back!” Frank dashed into the house and quickly made the call. He got the number and was back out the door almost as soon as he hung up. Joe had everything ready and tossed Frank’s helmet to him. Frank caught it, strapped it on, and climbed on his bike. The two took off towards the old mill.   
The two stopped at a gas station. Frank pulled out his phone and texted Tony and Chet. He got a reply a minute later.   
“Joe, think you can mimic Peters’s voice?”   
“I can try. I didn’t exactly pay that close of attention to it.” He glanced at Frank. “But what would I say? If they’re expecting him and Blum later tonight, they’ll just say to wait until they get there.”   
“Unless the truck breaks down?” suggested Frank.   
Joe rubbed his chin. “Hmm, that could work. But we would need to select a place in Bayport that is on the way from the farmhouse to the mill but far enough away from the mill that it will give us time to get into the mill.”   
Frank huffed. “You’re right. What would be a good place to tell them?” The two boys went through a map of Bayport in their heads.   
“Hmm, maybe the Parker building?”   
Frank nodded slowly. “That could work. We just need enough time to get over there and get into the mill before Blum shows up.”   
“Alright then.” Frank handed him the paper with the number on it. Joe let out a breath. “Well, here goes.” He walked to a pay phone outside the station and placed the call. He took a few breaths to steady himself while the phone rang.   
“Elekton Industries, night guard Markel speaking. Can you please make this quick? I have to be out of here in a minute.”   
“Markel, it’s Peters,” said Joe in a gravelly voice. “Truck’s down by the Parker building. Need you to get out here, quick!” He quickly hung up, his heart pounding. He let out a breath before dashing back to Frank.   
“I probably did that all wrong,” Joe told Frank with a wince. “I hung up before he could say anything else.”   
Frank’s cell dinged. He checked his messages. “No, it looks like it worked. Chet said they just left.” He pocketed his phone. “We’ve probably got about twenty minutes at least.”   
“Righto,” said Joe. The two kicked their motorcycles into gear and sped off towards the mill. They found and parked near Tony’s car. Quickly taking off their helmets, they dashed to where Tony and Chet were hiding in the bushes.   
“Did they see you?” asked Frank.   
“Nope,” said Tony with a shake of his head.  
“So what are you planning on doing again?” whispered Chet.   
“We’re going into the mill. We need you outside to keep an eye out for their return.”   
“And provide backup when you need it,” added Chet.   
Joe grinned. “You got it.”   
Chet sighed and rolled his eyes. “Then don’t get into too much trouble, please?”   
“No guarantees,” said Frank.   
“But how are you getting in?” asked Tony. “They locked it!”   
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” mumbled Frank before getting up and walking towards the mill.   
“Now I wish I could go with you to see this,” muttered Tony as Joe stood.   
Joe shrugged. “I’ll try to record it. No guarantees.” He shot Tony a grin before taking off after his brother. The Hardys dashed across the field towards the mill. They paused occasionally to glance around out of habit, but they were short, quick pauses. They came to a stop and crouched behind a bush. “Tony’s got a point. How are we going to get in?”   
Frank huffed and pointed at the water wheel and the window just above it. It was turning away at a steady pace. “That’s our best way in.”   
“Hoo boy, this is going to be tough.” He grinned. “And fun.”   
“We have to time it perfectly, but we’re going to have to do it quickly.”   
“Alright, I’m assuming you’ve got it figured out.”   
“Uh, for the most part. Just, uh, follow my lead. Unless it involves me getting trampled by the wheel, in which case, try to save me.”   
“I will do my best,” said Joe.   
“Oh good to know,” muttered Frank. But he was up and walking quickly towards the mill, Joe close behind. Frank slowed down as they neared the wheel, trying to figure out exactly how he would go about climbing the wheel and how long he would have to get into the window. But then he came to an abrupt halt, Joe nearly ran into him. Both boys stared at the wheel in shock. It had stopped moving!   
“Wh-what just happened?” whispered Joe.   
“I-I don’t know. It just stopped!”   
“I can see that,” quipped Joe.   
“Be quiet. But this could mean someone is still here!”   
“But didn’t Chet say they both left?”   
Frank bobbed his head. “He did! Which doesn’t make sense.” He furrowed his brows. “Unless . . .”  
“We tripped something?” said Joe, looking around at the ground.   
“It’s possible. But we don’t have time to look. Plus, this might give us the chance we need. A stationary wheel is easier to climb than a moving wheel. Come on!” The two dashed for the wheel. Frank began climbing the wheel. Joe waited for him to get a ways up before following. Frank reached the top and shakily, slowly stood up. He took a couple of breaths and jumped. He got himself about halfway in. He grunted as he pulled himself in the rest of the way. He sat down, He was just standing up and priming himself to jump. He shot Frank a sheepish grin as he steadied himself on the wooden planks. Frank got on his knees, ready to help pull Joe in, when both heard a soft click. A whirring hummed softly. Joe gasped as the planks began to move beneath his feet.   
“Joe, jump!” Joe took a flying leap. He was able to grab onto the ledge and tried to push himself up. His shoes couldn’t find a grip on the slick stones and found himself slipping. He yelped. Frank grabbed a hold of his arms and helped him get in. They sat back against the walls, panting.   
“Phew, that was close!”   
“Are you alright, though?”   
Joe shot him a grin and gave him a thumbs up. “Nothing like nearly falling into a moat to get your blood pumping.”   
Frank ended his sigh of relief with a groan. “Well, at least your blood is pumping. Let’s find a suitable place to keep an eye out for the incoming load, and a way to escape once they’re through.”   
“I think going through the cave is our best bet,” Joe said as they walked through the room. There was just enough light from the waning sun to show that it was a bare room, except for a few tattered curtains and broken pieces of furniture.   
“I think so too, but first, we’ve got to find the way out of here,” rpelied Frank. The boys didn’t want to take out their flashlights just yet, they didn’t want the returning crooks to know they were there. The two had to peer into the darkening room to find any stairs. A soft rustling came from the beams overhead.  
Joe glanced up and yelped. “F-Frank!” Frank turned and looked at where Joe was pointing. A pair of yellow eyes was staring back at them! Then came a soft sound. Frank decided to risk it and quickly pulled out his flashlight. The black cat blinked in the sudden brightness and let out a soft meow. Frank clamped a hand over his mouth as he snorted. Joe glared at him. “Oh shut up.”  
Frank snickered and dodged Joe’s hand. He happened to glance over at the floor as he did so and gasped. “Oh hey! There are the stairs!”   
“Nice!” Joe glanced up at the cat. “Guess you were lucky after all.” The cat merely meowed and jumped to another beam. Joe caught up with Frank and the two quickly made their way down the stairs. The main floor was the definite guard house portion, plus all the comforts of home, sort of. The boys found sleeping bags curled up in one cabinet in the mini kitchenette along with some cans of food and the cellar door. Frank opened it, and then close it.   
“You hear that?”   
Joe listened. “I don’t hear anything.”   
“Exactly, I think the wheel stopped, which means someone’s coming!” The boys dashed out of the kitchenette and up the stairs. They flattened themselves onto the floor and got close to a hole in the floor to watch what was going on. Just in time too as Docker and Markel unlocked the mill and marched in in an angry fit.   
“I told you there was something off about that phone call!” Docker shouted. “But no, you just had to go investigate!”   
“I didn’t want to take any chances!” blurted Markel.   
“Well next time you can take that chance by yourself!”   
“Once they finally get here, we won’t have to worry about that anymore. I’m glad Blum’s inside guy was able to come back so we can get this over with,” mumbled Markel.   
Docker scoffed and shook his head. “We just wanted to make counterfeits and this was the best place. But no, Peters had to stick his nose into Blum’s business when he shouldn’t have, just like those pesky Hardys.” Docker’s eyes widened. “The Hardy boys! They must have been the ones who called!”   
“But how could they get in? The mill was locked!”   
“They could have used the cave entrance!”   
“Yeah, which they would have never found if it hadn’t been for you, so I guess we’re even on the idiot moves,” snapped Markel.   
Docker rolled his eyes. “Just shut up and help me look! You head to the cellar and I’ll check in the attic.”   
“Fine,” mumbled Markel before heading to the cellar. Frank and Joe looked at each other in worry. What were they going to do? Frank glanced at the broken furniture pieces. That was their only chance. He tapped Joe’s shoulder and pointed. Joe nodded. The two quickly dashed to the pile and crouched behind it. They almost stopped breathing when they heard Docker coming up the stairs. A large light circled around the room, going over every inch carefully. Something fell over near where they were hiding. Frank and Joe glanced at each other in shock. They would be found for sure! Docker walked towards the sound and screamed. The cat yowled.   
Docker growled. “You stupid cat! Get out of here!” The cat hissed. At the same moment, a horn honked. Docker swiveled the flashlight for a quick, final turn before dashing down the stairs. The boys waited a moment before heaving soft sighs of relief. Frank pulled out his phone and texted their father and their friends. Joe jumped as something brushed by him. A pair of green eyes looked at him.   
“That was really brave of you,” he whispered as he picked up the cat and stroked its fur. He gave it a quick squeeze. “Thank you.”   
“Joe, this might be our best chance to get out of here!” whispered Frank.   
“You think we’ll make it?” asked Joe, putting down the cat.   
“We can try, but we have to move now.”   
“Right.” The two dashed towards the stairs and tiptoed down. Frank paused at the bottom. Markel and Docker seemed to be arguing with Peters. But all were outside and Markel’s large frame filled up the doorframe. The boys couldn’t see what was going on outside, but then no one could see them sneaking past.   
“You are such an idiot!”   
“Well you’re the one that . . .”  
“Will you three knock it off! You’re lucky you’re even working for me. If this operation had depended on you lot, this would have been all over the first moment you caught the attention of the Hardys! I’ve been one step ahead of their father this whole time and you three can barely keep one centimeter ahead of his sons! They seem better at their jobs than you are at yours!” Frank and Joe grinned at each other before disappearing into the cellar. The argument was still going on, but it was muted by the cellar door. The boys flicked on their flashlights.   
“There’s the shelf,” said Frank, swinging his light over the bookshelf. The boys gently nudged it open, but when it made no sound, they swung it open all the way and dashed through. They quickly closed it.   
“Uh oh,” said Joe. “We don’t know how to open it on this end.”   
Frank winced. He was right, the pulley was on the other side. They couldn’t see any way of opening the secret door. “Maybe we need to push it open, seeing as how we had to pull the rock side open.”   
“It’s worth a try,” mumbled Joe. The two pushed. And pushed. And pushed. But it didn’t budge.   
“Dang it,” muttered Frank. “And we’re running out of time!”   
“Maybe we can put something against that door until we figure this out,” said Joe. “Buy us some time.”   
“Good idea,” said Frank. The two found a long piece of wood and laid it across the door, using two hooks to hold it into place like a crossbar. “That should hold them, for a little while. But it will definitely let them know we’re here for sure.”   
“Then let’s figure out how to open this and fast,” said Joe. The boys rushed back to the door to the cave. Joe went right away to the left of the door. “The pulley was on the other side of this wall. It’s got to be here!”   
“Less talking, more looking,” said Frank. The boys ran their fingers over every inch of the wall and moved everything on the bookshelf that was set up against it. THe boys jumped when a loud banging came from the other door.   
“It’s locked!” shouted Markel.   
“How in the world can it be locked?” asked Peters. “There’s no one else here but us!”   
There was a slight pause before they shouted in unison, “The Hardy boys!”   
“Docker, give me one of those axes!” shouted Peters. Frank and Joe glanced at each other, wide eyed. Axes! They had to get out, and fast!


	19. Stalling for Time

The boys jumped at the sound of the axe hitting the wood. “Come on, come on, come on!” muttered Joe as the boys sped up their search.   
“Give me that other axe!” shouted Markel. The next moment, alternating axe swings hitting wood filled the air with dread.   
“Aha! I think I’ve found it!!” exclaimed Joe. His hand was on the top shelf and he pulled on a hammer tied to some rope. The door to the cave opened, right as they heard the heavy splintering of wood.   
“Go go go!” said Frank, pushing him towards the opening. The two dashed through. They paused and closed the door before turning on their flashlights dashing down the tunnel.   
“I have never been so glad to see a cave devoid of stalagmites and stalactites,” muttered Joe as they followed the path without so much as lifting up their flashlights to see where they were going. A few minutes later, the boys put on a final burst of speed, elated to see moonlight coming in through the cave entrance. They rounded the corner, and with grins spreading across their face, dashed towards the opening. The leaves near the entrance rustled, and Docker stepped into the cave, a crossbow aimed at them. Frank threw his arm out in front of Joe as they skidded to a halt.   
“Thought you could get away that easily, did you?”   
“It was worth a try,” quipped Joe between breaths.   
“You guys just never give up, do you?”   
“You’re just now figuring this out?   
“Joe, shut up.”   
Docker chuckled. “Yes Joe, shut up. You’re pretty arrogant for a guy who’s got an arrow aimed at him.”   
“Well sorry, but I‘m still pissed you shot at my brother and my friends,” said Joe with a low growl.   
“Ah,” said Docker, “that makes sense. Now if you don’t get back into that cave, I’ll shoot at your brother again.” Joe growled, but he backed up. Docker turned to Frank. “You too, or I’ll take my first shot at Joe, and I won’t miss.” Frank clenched his teeth and his hands curled into fists, but he backed up as well. Peters and Markel came around the corner then, Peters breathing hard. Both still had their axes. Markel stepped over to the tunnel that led to the beach while Peters stood at the tunnel opening back to the mill. The boys had no chance of escape.   
“So you were here. Just had to keep sticking your nose into our business. You really are just as bad as Peters,” said Markel.   
“Shut up, Markel,” snapped Peters.   
“Hey, you were the one who just wouldn’t let matters be with Blum and had to find out every little thing,” retorted Markel.   
“He does have a point,” said Docker, “and since you wouldn’t leave it alone, we had to get involved. If you had just left things alone, we could have said no to him if we wanted. But no, you just had to stick your nose into it.”   
“And then you had the audacity of handing a counterfeit to a Hardy!”   
Peters scoffed. “Well I wasn’t the one who practically told them where to find the secret room where we were making counterfeits!” He turned to Docker. “You just had to get all trigger happy.” He turned to Markel. “And then you fell for their phone call!”  
“Alright!” shouted Markel. “So we shouldn’t have done our first counterfeit operation in Bayport, we get it! But it’s kind of late to be complaining about that.” He pointed at the Hardys with his axe. “We still have to take care of these two brats.”   
“Exactly,” said Docker. “But should we just straight up kill them now, or wait?” Frank and Joe glanced at each other. They had to stall them.   
“Well, since you’re planning on killing us either way,” said Frank, “why don’t you tell us a few things?” The three crooks glanced at each other.   
Docker shrugged. “Eh, why not. What did you want to know?”   
“Whose idea was it for the counterfeits?” asked Frank. “And who found that secret tunnel to the cave?”   
“How did you find it?” asked Joe. “And how did you end up working for Blum?”   
“The counterfeits was my idea,” said Peters, “even though it’s been something we’ve been wanting to try for a while now. We just couldn’t find the right place.”   
“And then I applied for the night guard shift,” said Markel. “We were thinking of setting up base in the cellar already.”   
“But then I stumbled onto the secret room, literally,” said Docker. He shrugged. “We knew it was the perfect place and set up shop there.”   
“As for Blum, I think he could tell we were up to something and figured we’d be great to work for him,” said Markel. “I mean, we did readily agree to it for the sum he offered us.” He cast a sideways glare at Peters. “And then Peters just had to get nosy about Blum’s business.”   
“What?” asked Peters. “You mean you weren’t curious about what this special delivery was?”  
“Elekton is working on top secret equipment for the space program,” snapped Markel. “We’re not supposed to know everything that comes through, you idiot!”   
“And now because we do know, we can’t claim ignorance should Blum try to implement us if he ever got caught!” exclaimed Docker.   
“Well how was I supposed to know that?” exclaimed Peters.   
“I can’t believe we ever decided to go into business with you,” mumbled Markel. “You the laziest excuse of a crook if I ever saw one.”   
“Man, after hearing all of this, I’m inclined to agree,” quipped Joe.   
“Hey! I did quite well at passing out counterfeits and making myself disappear into crowds!”   
“That’s all you’ve ever been good at,” mumbled Docker. “We had to be the ones at the mill making them!”  
“And you had Ken delivering them to Peters,” said Frank. He glanced at Docker. “How did you manage to convince the orphanage you were his uncle?”   
Docker scoffed. “Piece of cake, really. The kid didn’t know his uncle’s name nor what he looked like. All I needed to do was to claim I knew his parents, and that was that.”   
“A little too easy,” said Joe. “And in this day and age?”   
Docker chuckled. “You’d be surprised by how many lies are spread on the internet kid. It would make your head spin.”   
“Speaking of, which one of you hit us and our friend on the head that night and broke my phone?” asked Frank.   
“That would have been me,” said Markel. “I needed to get that paper back and I saw you take a picture of it. Had to destroy the evidence some kind of way. I also meant it as a warning for you two to stay away for good.” He took a menacing step forward, his hands tightening around the axe handle. “But here you are, once again refusing to heed any of our warnings.”   
“And you’re going to pay for it.”   
“How? I’ve only got that phony twenty you gave my friend,” quipped Joe.   
Peters’s lips twitched. “Now I’m almost sorry we have to kill you.”   
“Shut up Peters. So this kid’s a wisecrack. All the more reason to hurry up and off these two,” said Docker.   
“Off who? What’s going on?” Two more men exited the tunnel from behind Peters. The boys’s hearts pounded. The two men their parents were chasing were here! All of the crooks were here in one spot, and no police to be found. What was taking them so long? The boys had apparently stalled Docker, Markel, and Peters long enough for Blum and his accomplice to not only get the bombs set up but also enough time for them to arrive on the scene. How much longer did they have to stall until the police arrived?   
“Well well well,” said one of the two men as his eyebrows raised, “Fenton Hardy’s boys. You three got yourselves quite the catch.”   
“No duh, Blum,” snapped Markel. “We were just trying to figure out how to best get rid of them.”   
The other guy’s eyes widened. “Y-you’re going to kill them? B-but they’re just kids!”   
“It doesn’t matter, Jacob,” snapped Blum. “They know far too much. And they’ve probably texted their famous father to let him know we’re here. We’ve got to go, now!” The two moved towards the other tunnel, but Markel stepped in their way.   
“You’re not going anywhere until you’ve paid us, Blum,” said Markel.   
“Oh, right. Jacob, go get the boat started up. I’ll pay these crooks and meet you out there.”   
“Right,” said Jacob. He glanced apologetically at the Hardys before stepping around Markel and headed towards the beach. Blum reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills.   
“Peters, go get the truck. We’ve got to get the stuff out of here,” said Docker.   
“Right,” said Peters. He raced out of the cave. Docker moved into a new position to keep a better eye on the Hardys and to make sure they didn’t try to make a run for it. But the boys had their focus on Blum, watching him count out bills to give to Markel. Markel took each one and glanced it over.   
“There, split that how you want. It’s been nice doing business with you.”   
“But who are you working for?” Frank quickly asked.   
Blum glanced at him. “What?”   
“You’ve been blowing up Elekton buildings and research these past few weeks,” said Joe. “Why?”   
“To stall them, obviously. Can’t let them get ahead of my employers.”   
“And who are your employers?”   
Blum smirked. “The highest bidder.” He glanced at Docker. “And you’re still lugging that thing around? Don’t you two have any guns?”   
Docker glared at him. “We do, but I haven’t practiced with this thing for nothing.”   
Blum threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes. “No wonder why a couple of kids were able to figure out your plan so quickly. You’re a bunch of idiots! Well I’m glad to be done with you. You’ve got your money, as promised. Plus a little extra for taking care of these brats. Good bye.” Everyone jumped as a loud war whoop sounded. The boys looked to the brush hopefully. Chet came barrelling out and rammed into Docker. Docker fell to the ground with a cry and lost his grip on his crossbow. Tony tackled Markel and the two began grappling for the axe. Blum turned to run towards the beach, but Frank took a flying leap and tackled him to the ground. Joe went to help Tony overpower Markel. With a heavy punch to his stomach and the back of the axe to his head, Markel slumped to the ground. Tony had brought some rope and the two quickly tied him. Joe then went to help Chet wrestle with Docker and Tony helped Frank with Blum. One by one, the two were tied up and sat against the cave wall.   
“You guys are awesome,” said Joe as Chet picked up the crossbow and Tony grabbed the axe.   
“We saw that other guy leave and figured we had better chances,” said Chet.   
“And good on you for bringing that rope,” said Frank, patting Tony’s shoulder.   
Tony grinned. “Figured we were going to need it.”   
“Well Peters is coming back,” said Joe. “Think we should go after Jacob?”   
“I think a few minutes of a break will be fine. Jacob might come searching for Blum when he doesn’t show up after a while,” said Frank. He let out a breath.   
“You guys are a bunch of losers!” shouted Blum. “Bested by a group of boys!”   
“Oh shut up, Blum, you weren’t exactly putting up that much of a fight,” grumbled Docker.   
“Yeah, well, this group of boys knows how to work together in a tough situation, unlike some criminals who were trying to keep their whole operation a secret,” quipped Joe. Chet chortled.   
Docker growled. “Shut up.”   
Markel started coming to with a groan. He glanced around the cave, blinking. His eyes fell on the boys. “Oh, right,” he mumbled. The boys grinned.   
“This way! I promise you, I don’t think anything’s happened to them just yet!” The boys and the men blinked in confusion as Jacob walked into the cavern. Ken then stepped into the cavern and let out a joyous cry.   
“You’re Ok! And you caught them!” Behind him came Officer Reilly and Chief Robinson.   
Robinson whistled. “Well well well, you’ve got these three all tied up and pretty for me. And it isn’t even Christmas yet!” The boys laughed.   
“Thank Tony and Chet, they were the ones who knocked them off their feet and brought the rope,” said Frank.   
Chet waved his hand. “Aw shucks, you guys. We just knew we had to come prepared with you too.”   
Tony laughed. “That’s the truth.”   
“But I thought the Chief and your parents would have been here by now,” said Reilly as he and a couple of Coast Guard men helped the crooks to their feet.  
Frank turned to glance out of the cave. “As a matter of fact, Peters should have been back by now too.”   
“Maybe they’re at the mill!” said Joe before dashing out. The others followed. Sure enough, there were a few squad cars parked in front of the mill, along with the Hardy car. Peters was sitting in the back of a squad car while a couple of officers waited nearby. Laura Hardy was standing by the family car.   
“Mom!” called out Joe.   
Laura turned and opened her arms. “Joe! Frank!” The boys rushed into their mother’s embrace. “Oh thank God you’re alright!” She glanced behind them. “Wait, did you catch our men too? And why are the Coast Guard here?”   
Frank and Joe grinned. “With plenty of help from Chet and Tony,” said Joe.   
“I asked Ken and Officer Reilly to call them in. Figured someone would try to use the boat to get away,” said Frank.   
She smiled and pulled them in for another hug. “I’m so proud of you!”   
“Thanks Mom!” the boys chorused.   
“Wait, where’s Dad?” asked Frank.   
She pointed to the building. “He went in there with a squad to defuse the bombs.”   
Blum scoffed. “He’s not going to get to all of them in time.” At that moment an explosion went off. The Hardys looked at the Elekton building in horror. Was anyone caught in the blast?


	20. Defused

Joe started to move forward, but Laura grabbed him by the arm.  
“No, wait,” she said.  
“But Dad!”  
“The experts are in there with him,” she said, “let them handle it.” Joe wanted to argue, but he could see the worry etched on her face. She was just as anxious about Fenton as they were, but was letting the experts handle it. Joe sighed and hugged his mother. Frank hugged her as well, hoping and praying their father would be alright.  
The minutes slowly ticked by. Several of the squad cars left with the prisoners. Soon, only Chief Robinson, Officer Reilly, Ken, Tony, and Chet had stayed with the Hardys.  
Frank, in an attempt to take their minds off of their concerns and to keep his own mind from going crazy with worry, asked his mother what she had found out about Ken’s uncle. He then revealed what Docker had told them.  
Laura smiled proudly at her son, understanding quite well what he was trying to do. “Well, I will admit it was rather odd that the orphanage couldn’t find any traces of Ken’s uncle and had no information on him either,” began Laura. She turned to Ken. “What do you know about your uncle?”  
Ken shrugged. “Only that I did have one. My parents didn’t give me any specifics. Now I’m beginning to wonder if it was to prevent me from finding out if he was a crinimal of some kind.”  
“Well, based on the search I did on both of your parents, it seems that your father had a brother and your mother had one as well.”  
Ken’s eyes bulged. “Wait, they both had brothers?”  
“Ken, before I tell you anymore, is there any reason that you can think of for why your parents never introduced you to their families?” asked Laura softly.  
Ken blinked and shook his head slowly. “Not, not that I can think of. I mean, they never mentioned anything to me.” He gulped. “Are my uncles still alive? What about my grandparents?”  
“Your gandparents have long since passed,” said Laura. “I only asked if they might have mentioned anything.” She let out a breath. “Maybe it was because your father wanted to forget his brother. He’s in jail right now for a murder.”  
Ken gasped. “What?”  
Laura nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry Ken.”  
“What about my other uncle? My mother’s brother?”  
“He was really young when your mother got married and I guess the two of them weren’t very close.” She smiled and patted Ken’s shoulder. “You were very lucky to have come here.”  
“Wait, he’s here, in Bayport?”  
“Wowee, Mom, that was some swell detective work!” exclaimed Joe.  
“Oh my goodness, hush, I’m not finished.” She turned back to Ken. “He’s actually an officer.”  
At that, Robinson, Reilly, and Ken all exclaimed at once, “What?”  
“Wow, lucky indeed!” said Chet. He turned to the lab. “I just hope he isn’t one of the guys in there with Mr. Hardy.”  
“Chet, none of the guys who went in there are young enough to be Ken’s uncle. Ken’s parents were about the same age as Trudy.”  
“Mrs. Hardy,” began Reilly, but was interrupted by Joe.  
“But younger than you and Dad?”  
“Yes, Ken’s mother was ten years older than her brother.”  
“Man, that’s a large gap without any siblings in between,” remarked Tony.  
Mrs. Hardy, was Ken’s father by any chance Lester Blake?” The others blinked before glancing at Ken and Laura for the answer.  
“Yes,” she said while Ken bobbed hid head.  
“ANd his mother was Constance Reilly Blake?” Ken’s mouth dropped.  
Laura dmiled. “Yes.”  
“What?” exclaimed the others as Conrad and Ken looked at each other.  
“Y-you’re my uncle?” stammered Ken.  
“I-I guess so. Constance married your father when I was only ten years old. I didn’t see much of them, nor heard much of them. Mom kept them up to date before she passed away. Didn’t see them at her funeral, nor Dad’s. I never knew what happened to them after that.”  
Ken’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m just glad you’re not another criminal.”  
Conrad chuckled softly as he pulled Ken into a hug. “No, I catch them. You’ll never have to work for a criminal again.”  
“We will have to go to court to prove your guardianship,” said Laura, “but with everything I’ve found, it shouldn’t be too hard.”  
“Ok, now can I say it?” said Joe.  
Laura blinked. “Uh, I guess.”  
“That was swell detective work!”  
Laura scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, it was nothing.”  
“Nothing my foot, you do everything with excellence, my dear.”  
“Dad!” Laura and the boys rushed to greet Fenton.  
“But we heard a bomb go off!” siad Joe.  
Fenton nodded. “It did. But we were working on four others, so we couldn’t get to that one. We’ve been assessing the damage done by Paul Blum and his accomplice, Jacob Burgess, to write up a report for Elekton. It was, thankfully, minimal. Now all we have to do is bring those men to justice.” Collig came out behind him, grumbling.  
“Those men are probably long gone by now,” he said.  
“Yes they are,” said Reilly. The others glanced at him quizzically. “But it’s not too far. As a matter of fact, you’ll see them when you head back to the station.”  
Collig blinked at him. “What are you talking about, Reilly?”  
Robinson chuckled. “He means we’ve already got them all. The Hardys and their friends were kind enough to have them all tied up for us.”  
Collig’s mouth dropped and turned to Frank and Joe. “You little rapscallions.” He grabbed each one and squeezed them tightly.  
“Uh, Chief . . . can’t breath!” said Joe when it was his turn. Collig let him down. Joe took a couple of steps back and rubbed his ribs as he took in a few deep breaths.  
Collig turned to Fenton and Laura. “You have got to let me have them on my team during the summer, at least.”  
Fenton scoffed. “I get first dibs. They are my sons after all.”  
“Oh fine, fine, we can share.” He turned to Reilly and shook his finger. “And don’t you ever kid me like that again.” He paused when he saw Reilly was hugging Ken. “Wait, Laura, your hunch was right? They are related?”  
Lauara nodded. “Yes, they are. I was able to find all the evidence I need to prove their relation. At least, for the most part. I am glad you sent Reilly to pick Ken up, Ezra.”  
Frank chuckled. “Though it was a little coincidental that the Chief would send the one guy who turns out to be his uncle.”  
“And it was certainly a lucky coincidence that Ken even came to Bayport in the first place,” remarked Joe.  
Collig scoffed. “I’m no psychic, boys. If I was, we might not even need you or your father. Reilly really was just coming off duty, nothing else to it.”  
“Well I’m glad. That would put me out of work,” said Fenton. The others laughed. He turned to his sons. “Now, how did you capture Blum and Burgess? And did you get your men?”  
Frank and Joe grinned as they told the whole story. Tony, Chet, and Ken chimed in with their parts in the matter. Fenton and Collig congratulated them all on a job well done. A few minutes later, everyone was finally on their way home. The boys got into bed, exhausted, and were asleep not long afterwards.  
Then came the appearances in court. The family had to go to New York City for the trial of Paul Blum and Jacob Burgess. Markel, Docker, and Peters all had their trial for counterfeting in Bayport before needing to be in New York for their aid to Blum and Burgess. The judge gave them an easy sentence since they were cooperative in giving all the information they had of the operation, plus the fact that they were already going to do time for their counterfeits.  
The court session proved to be longer than the boys thought it had to be. They realized that Blum’s lawyer was putting up quite the fight for him, but the evidence was too strong against him. The Hardys were very thorough. Ken,, too, was there, giving what little he knew, though his testimony was more valuable in terms of the counterfeits since he had unknowingly delivered them to Peters. But he had another reason to be in New York. His own case had been opened. The Hardy boys had to give their testimony there too, namely on the characters of Ken Blake and Conrad Reilly. Unlike the Elekton case, this case came to a much quicker resolution. As Laura pointed out, she had found all the evidence needed to prove that they were family, and her evidence got Ken under legal guardianship of his uncle.  
Finally, Laura and the boys got to leave New York City. They were no longer needed for the rest of the session as the rest of it was confidential. And only Fenton had that information. They did stay in New York City for a little longer, just so Laura could show the boys around for a bit. But the constant comings and goings of the city life was beginning to annoy the boys and they were never happier to see the seaside comfort of Bayport.  
“Finally, home at last,” said Joe as they entered the city limits.  
“How did you and Dad stand living in New York?” asked Frank. “All of that commotion was simply draining.”  
Laura shrugged. “We just made do and put up with it until your father was able to move. It definitely takes a certain type of person to live there.”  
“No kidding,” mumbled Joe. “Hey Mom, can we take some money out of our accounts?”  
“Whatever for?”  
“We wanted to treat Ken to a real welcome home party,” said Joe, grinning. “Invite the whole gang and introduce him to everyone.”  
“That sounds like a fabulous idea! But you need to know how much you’ll need for everything you have in mind and tell me. We’ll go from there.”  
“Yes ma’am!” chorused the boys. As soon as they got home and were unpacked, the boys took to the project in a frenzy. First they contacted all their friends so they could set up the best day and time to do it. Then they checked into the prices for the location to be reserved and the food. They got together a list of the places they wanted the party to take place at and the prices for it all. Laura helped them narrow it down to one location and got it reserved for the next day.  
Sunday dawned to clear blue skies with a few white, fluffy clouds rolling lazily by. The boys changed out of their Sunday clothes and into jeans and t-shirts as soon as they got home from church. They went straight away to the Diner to get everything set up for the party. People began showing up a few at a time to help out. Before long, everyone but Ken and Reilly were there. When they finally did show up, everyone welcomed him with open arms. He was on the verge of tears yet he was grinning from ear to ear.  
After lunch, they went to a nearby park for some fun and games while the adults who came along stayed behind and offered to give Reilly some tips. It was a wonderful day, one they had all earned. But as with all fun times, it was over far too soon. And as soon as the Hardys walked into their house, they got a call from Fenton.  
“It’s official,” he told his family, “the proceedings will come to an end in two days.” They all sighed with relief.  
“It’s about time,” said Joe. “Do all court cases go like this?”  
Fenton chuckled. “Not usually, no. Some are like your case and Ken’s, provided they have all the evidence. Some do take longer than that simply because you don’t always have all the evidence going in, but since Elekton was working for the government, well, it took longer.”  
“Well at least not all of them are going to be as long as this,” said Joe. “I don’t know if I can handle another one like that.”  
Fenton chuckled again. “If you get into my line of work, you’re going to have to.”  
“Ah, phooey.”  
“Have you found another mystery yet?”  
“No, but we’re on the lookout,” said Frank.  
“Oh, and have you had a chance to talk to Nancy and find out about hers?”  
“Well, I, uh, figured she’d contact us again if she needed our help,” said Frank. “Besides, we weren’t sure if you were going to need us again in court or not.”  
“Definitely not. So if you want to take some time off, give aid to Nancy, now’s the time to do it.”  
“Yeah, uh, we will,” said Frank.  
“Uh-huh,” said Joe, “especially once you’ve let her know we’re no longer needed in court.”  
“Yeah.” Sensing Frank’s discomfort at the possibility of being teased, Laura changed the subject. The family talked about other things before bidding each other good night.  
Later that night, as the boys laid in bed waiting for sleep to come, Joe got to thinking.  
“You know, if Nancy solves her mystery in the next couple of days, we’ll be tied, two for two. We could each start on our third mysteries at the same time.”  
“That’s provided we don’t start our next mystery tomorrow and before Nancy finishes hers,” pointed out Frank.  
“But it would still be really close together,” replied Joe. “I’m just hoping our next one isn’t tied to one of Dad’s cases.”  
“Even if it is, there are still other mysteries that wouldn’t,” said Frank matter-of-factly. “Especially once we’ve gotten more experienced. I mean, this mystery was only tied to Dad’s because the guy he was looking for just so happened to hire the goons we were chasing.”  
“That is true, we weren’t looking for the same guys. Not at first anyways, but it is annoying that they still ended up being connected.”  
“Well I think you should get used to it, especially if you want to work with Dad on one of his mysteries.”  
“Touche.” Joe yawned. “Well, good night. Here’s to hoping our next mystery is just around the corner.”  
“I hope so too. Good night.” The boys rolled over and fell asleep. Their next mystery was around the corner, but it had the piece of mind to wait until after their father finished with his trial. But until then, they had some free time, time to relax and to show their new friend around town. And Bayport was at peace. That is, until the next criminal comes along, thinking the hometown of one of the greatest detectives and his family is a good place to start a life of crime.


End file.
